down
/daʊn/23 verbsSomething decreases, collapses, settles, or gets recorded.
Beyond the literal direction, DOWN carries reduction (cut down, slow down, turn down) and collapse (break down, fall down, let down).
Its odd one out is write down / take down, where DOWN means committing something to a permanent record — historically because you looked down at the page while writing.
What it does to the sound
DOWN begins with /d/, a consonant, so there is no linking vowel to catch the verb's final sound. Instead the verb's final stop is unreleased: in shut down the T is held, not popped, and the two words run together without a puff of air between them.
What DOWN means
Reduction — less, slower, quieter
The amount or intensity decreases.
Collapse — stop working or fall apart
A system, machine or person stops functioning.
Recording — commit to a permanent form
Information is fixed in writing.
Settling — become calm or stationary
Movement or agitation comes to rest.
Every verb that takes DOWN
The complete list — 23 of them. The section above groups the common ones by what DOWN is doing.