feel down

Meaning

To feel down means to feel sad, depressed, or discouraged. It is a casual, common way to describe a temporary state of low spirits or mild unhappiness without sounding overly clinical.

Examples

• Whenever I feel down, I like to go for a long walk in the park to clear my head.

  Whenever I feel down, I like to go for a long walk in the park to clear my head.

• She was feeling a bit down after she got the results of her chemistry exam.

  She was feeling a bit down after she got the results of her chemistry exam.

• If you're feeling down, remember that you can always call me to talk.

  If you're feeling down, remember that you can always call me to talk.

• The rainy weather always makes me feel down and sleepy.

  The rainy weather always makes me feel down and sleepy.

• He's been feeling down lately because he misses his family back home.

  He's been feeling down lately because he misses his family back home.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I am feeling downly today.

  ✓ I am feeling down today.

  'Down' acts as an adjective here. 'Downly' is not a word in English.

• ✗ Don't feel down yourself.

  ✓ Don't feel down.

  'Feel down' is not a reflexive verb. You cannot 'feel down yourself'. If you want to say someone is criticizing themselves, use 'get down on yourself'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• I always ___ when winter starts and the days get shorter.

  💡 Feel sad or discouraged.

  Show answer

  feel down

• She seemed to ___ yesterday, so I bought her some flowers to cheer her up.

  💡 Be in low spirits.

  Show answer

  feel down