verb
download
DOWN-lohd
verb
1
To transfer data from a remote computer or server to your own device.
"You can download the app for free."
"The file took ten minutes to download."
noun
1
A file that has been, or can be, transferred this way, or the act of transferring it.
"The download failed halfway through."
How to Use Download
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo pull a file from the internet onto your own device — or the file itself.
Common mistake
"Download" pulls data to your device; "upload" sends data away from it — easy to mix up.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
download a file
free download
download speed
Word Forms
downloaded past tense, downloads plural, downloads singular
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You can _____ the app for free.
Etymology
From down- plus load; the verb is first recorded around 1962, with the noun form following in the 1970s.