What does lowdown mean?
“Lowdown” is an informal noun meaning the latest or most useful information about someone or something. It often implies that the information concerns the practical details, current circumstances, or less visible aspects of a situation: a reporter might seek the lowdown on negotiations, while a friend might ask for the lowdown on a new job. The phrase is frequently used in the fixed expression “get the lowdown on,” meaning to learn the facts or background about something. Its tone is direct, conversational, and slightly emphatic, making it less suitable for formal writing than “details,” “information,” or “background.” Although the word may be written as one word or as the hyphenated “low-down,” the closed form “lowdown” is standard and predominant in modern usage. The term can also suggest insider or firsthand knowledge without necessarily implying secrecy.
nounThe latest information or details about a particular person, situation, or subject. The word is informal and is especially common in the expression “get the lowdown on.”
- Information or details about a person, situation, or subject, especially information that is current, useful, or not widely known.
"Give me the lowdown on the new project before tomorrow's meeting."
"I need the lowdown on whether the meeting has been postponed."
"Her business card had all the essential lowdown, including her email address and office hours."
“Lowdown” packs the idea of revealing what is really going on into one brisk, informal phrase.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does lowdown come from?
The expression developed in the mid-20th century, probably as a development of the phrase “low down,” which could mean in a low or subordinate position and appeared in underworld and jazz slang. By the 1960s, “the lowdown” had become established as an informal term for inside information or the facts about a situation. The compound combines “low,” associated with secrecy or the hidden underside of events, with “down,” an intensifying element in colloquial phrasing.
How lowdown is actually used
This is an informal, chiefly British and American expression. It is especially associated with journalism, offices, and informal conversation; “details” or “the latest information” are suitable in more formal contexts.