Go down vs Lower

When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.

Go down

Top 1,000 (very common)

Lower

Top 1,000 (very common) B2 verb

	Go down	Lower
Pronunciation	🇬🇧 //ɡəʊ daʊn// 🇺🇸 //ɡoʊ daʊn//	🇬🇧 /["/ˈləʊə(r)/","/ˈləʊəz/","/ˈləʊəd/","/ˈləʊərɪŋ/"]/ 🇺🇸 /["/ˈləʊər/","/ˈləʊərz/","/ˈləʊərd/","/ˈləʊərɪŋ/"]/
Meaning	To move to a lower place or position.	to make something less high or to decrease it
Example	Please go down the stairs to the basement.	The manager decided to lower the prices to attract more customers.
Register	Neutral	Neutral
How common	Top 1,000 (very common)	Top 1,000 (very common)
CEFR level	-	B2
Part of speech		verb
Collocations	go down the stairs, go down in price, go down with a cold, go down smoothly, go down in history	carefully, gently, gradually, into, onto, to, carefully, gently, gradually, into, onto, to
Antonyms	-	raise, increase, elevate
Common mistakes	Confused with 'go up' - remember 'down' means lower., Using inappropriately for non-physical contexts., Omitting necessary prepositions in phrases.	Confused with 'lowered' when describing past actions., Incorrectly using 'lower' as an adjective instead of a verb., Mistaking 'lower' for 'less' in some contexts.
Usage notes	Use 'go down' when describing movement to a lower level. It can also refer to prices, emotions, or information. Avoid in very formal contexts.	Use 'lower' when referring to reducing something physically or metaphorically. It’s appropriate in most contexts, but avoid using it in overly formal writing.

See it in real clips

The Sopranos › S1 E1

But in my world, it does not go down.

Go down

The Lord Of The Rings › The return of the king

The lower level's in flames.

Chernobyl › S1 E1

Did you lower the control rods or not?

The Pitt › S1 E1

We gave you medicine to lower your potassium,

The Lord Of The Rings › The return of the king

The lower level's in flames.

Chernobyl › S1 E1

Did you lower the control rods or not?

Lower

Frequently asked questions: Go down vs Lower

What's the difference between Go down and Lower?

Go down: To move to a lower place or position. Lower: to make something less high or to decrease it

Can you show an example of each?

Go down: Please go down the stairs to the basement. Lower: The manager decided to lower the prices to attract more customers.

Can I use Go down and Lower interchangeably?

Not always. Go down and Lower are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.