downier; downiest
1
: resembling a bird's down
2
: covered with down
3
: made of down
4

Examples of downy in a Sentence

the downy surface of a ripe peach
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In the center of all those pointy twigs will be a cup shape of soft and downy materials that will cradle the eggs and the new babies. Joan Morris, Mercury News, 21 Apr. 2025 Two tall sandhill crane parents strutted through the marsh, their downy red colt toddling behind them. Anne Readel, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 June 2025 Plants produce a basal rosette of downy foliage in their first year and flower in the second season, after which the plants typically die out. Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 29 Mar. 2025 Reviled as rats with wings or, by a slimmer margin, beloved as downy, dirty urban icons, pigeons seem as much a part of New York as its skyline. Sarah Maslin Nir, New York Times, 3 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for downy

Word History

First Known Use

1551, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of downy was in 1551

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Downy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downy. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

downy

adjective
downier; downiest
1
: resembling a bird's down
2
: covered with or made of down

More from Merriam-Webster on downy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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