- a variant spelling of lower2
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
lour
(louər, lou′ər),USA pronunciation v.i., n.
- lower2.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
low•er1 /ˈloʊɚ/USA pronunciation
v.
adj.
low•er2 /ˈlaʊɚ/USA pronunciation v. [no object]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to (cause to) descend;
(cause to) be let or put down: [~ + object]to lower a flag.[no object]The sun lowered in the west. - to (cause to) become lower in height or level: [~ + object]to lower the water in a canal.[no object]The water level lowered.
- to reduce in amount, price, degree, or force:[~ + object]lowered the amount of salt in our diet.
- to make or become less loud or lower in pitch: [~ + object]He lowered his voice.[no object]Her voice lowered and she spoke softly in my ear.
- to bring down in rank or status:[~ + object]wouldn't lower himself to beg.
adj.
- comparative of low1.
- Geography of or relating to the parts of a river farthest from the source:[before a noun]the lower Mississippi.
low•er2 /ˈlaʊɚ/USA pronunciation v. [no object]
- to be dark and threatening:The sky lowered just before the storm.
low•er1
(lō′ər),USA pronunciation v.t.
v.i.
adj.
n.
low′er•a•ble, adj.
low•er2 (lou′ər, louər),USA pronunciation v.i.
n.
- to cause to descend;
let or put down:to lower a flag. - to make lower in height or level:to lower the water in a canal.
- to reduce in amount, price, degree, force, etc.
- to make less loud:Please lower your voice.
- to bring down in rank or estimation;
degrade;
humble;
abase (oneself ), as by some sacrifice of self-respect or dignity:His bad actions lowered him in my eyes. - [Music.]to make lower in pitch;
flatten. - Phoneticsto alter the articulation of (a vowel) by increasing the distance of the tongue downward from the palate:The vowel of "clerk'' is lowered to(ä) in the British pronunciation.
v.i.
- to become lower, grow less, or diminish, as in amount, intensity, or degree:The brook lowers in early summer. Stock prices rise and lower constantly.
- to descend;
sink:the sun lowering in the west.
adj.
- comparative of low 1.
- of or pertaining to those portions of a river farthest from the source.
- (often cap.) Stratig. noting an early division of a period, system, or the like:the Lower Devonian.
n.
- a denture for the lower jaw.
- a lower berth.
- Middle English, comparative of low1 (adjective, adjectival) 1150–1200
- 1. drop, depress. 3. decrease, diminish, lessen. 4. soften. 5. humiliate, dishonor, disgrace, debase.
- 3. raise, increase. 5. elevate, honor.
low•er2 (lou′ər, louər),USA pronunciation v.i.
- to be dark and threatening, as the sky or the weather.
- to frown, scowl, or look sullen;
glower:He lowers at people when he's in a bad mood.
n.
- a dark, threatening appearance, as of the sky or weather.
- a frown or scowl.
- 1250–1300; Middle English lour (noun, nominal), louren (verb, verbal) to frown, lurk; akin to German lauern, Dutch loeren
- 1. darken, threaten.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
lower /ˈləʊə/ adj
- being below one or more other things: the lower shelf, the lower animals
- reduced in amount or value: a lower price
- (of a limit or bound) less than or equal to one or more numbers or variables
- (sometimes capital) denoting the early part or division of a period, system, formation, etc: Lower Silurian
- (transitive) to cause to become low or on a lower level; bring, put, or cause to move down
- (transitive) to reduce or bring down in estimation, dignity, value, etc: to lower oneself
- to reduce or be reduced: to lower one's confidence
- (transitive) to make quieter: to lower the radio
- (transitive) to reduce the pitch of
- (transitive) to modify the articulation of (a vowel) by bringing the tongue further away from the roof of the mouth
- (intransitive) to diminish or become less
lower, lour /ˈlaʊə/ vb (intransitive)
- (esp of the sky, weather, etc) to be overcast, dark, and menacing
- to scowl or frown
- a menacing scowl or appearance
'lour' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):