narrow down
phrasal verb·2 senses·particle down
Meanings
Reduce a range of options to specifics
Why “down”? You move from the whole thing to the smaller parts, so you can understand it.
“We narrowed down the suspects to two.”
“They narrowed down the choices to three.”
Reduce the number of possibilities to a smaller set
Why “down”? When there is less of something, it goes down. Prices, sound, heat and speed all work this way.
“We narrowed it down to three options.”
“The search was narrowed down to one area.”
Test yourself
“We narrowed down the suspects to two.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
boil down
Same down pattern: into parts
Reduce to the essential point
break down
Same down pattern: into parts
(of a vehicle or machine) stop working; Lose emotional control and start crying; Separate something into smaller parts to understand it; (of negotiations or relationships) fail or end; Force a door open by hitting it; Decompose into simpler chemical substances
bring down
Same down pattern: less
Cause something to fall or land; Make something lower in level or amount; Cause a government or leader to lose power; Make someone feel sad or depressed
come down
Same down pattern: less
Drop from a high level it has been at; Move to a lower level, price or position; Have been passed down from earlier generations; Decide in favour of one side after consideration; Become ill with a particular illness; (of rain, snow or hail) fall
cool down
Same down pattern: less
Become or make less hot; Become calmer after anger or excitement; Do gentle exercise after a hard workout
count down
Same down pattern: less
Count backwards to zero before an event
cut down
Same down pattern: less
Reduce the amount of something; Fell a tree by cutting at its base; Kill or seriously injure many people quickly
die down
Same down pattern: less
Feelings or excitement gradually become calmer; Become less strong, loud or active
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