lowered
lowered — adjective
- loweredpositive
- more loweredcomparative
- most loweredsuperlative
1. placed at a level that is below the usual or expected standard or position, whet
placed at a level that is below the usual or expected standard or position, whether in height, amount, or status
The doctor noticed that the patient had lowered blood pressure after taking the new medicine.
lowered blood pressure — reduced medical reading
The shy child walked to the teacher with lowered eyes to ask a question.
The lowered ceiling in the basement made it hard for tall visitors to stand up.
After the budget cuts, the sales team worked with lowered expectations for the coming year.
Mei-Lin and her cousins kept their voices lowered so that others heard the film dialogue.
- raised
moved to a higher position or increased
用法筆記
Common in medical reports (lowered blood pressure / lowered heart rate), financial contexts (lowered expectations / lowered targets), and physical descriptions (lowered ceiling / lowered head).
常見錯誤
lowered — verb
- loweredpresent simple I / you / we / they
- lowereds3rd person singular
- lowereding-ing form
- lowerededpast simple
1. to let something go down from a higher position to a lower one, often carefully
to let something go down from a higher position to a lower one, often carefully or by using your hands or a machine
The nurse carefully lowered the hospital bed so that Mr. Garcia could rest more comfortably.
lowered + inanimate object (hospital bed)
Oliver lowered the heavy suitcase from the luggage rack onto the train floor.
The fisherman lowered his net into the water and waited for fish to appear.
Zola lowered her head as she walked through the low doorway to avoid bumping it.
Two workers carefully lowered the heavy painting from the wall and carried it outside.
- raise
move something upward
文法句型
lower + object
lower + object + adverb/preposition
用法筆記
Often used with a prepositional phrase showing the destination (lowered into the water, lowered onto the floor, lowered from the wall). Frequently in the passive: 'The flag was lowered at sunset.'
常見錯誤
2. to make something smaller, weaker, or less in amount, level, cost, or degree
to make something smaller, weaker, or less in amount, level, cost, or degree
The store lowered all winter clothes prices by half at the end of the season.
lowered the price — reduce cost
Vikram lowered the television volume when his baby sister fell asleep on the couch.
The school board lowered class sizes to give each student more individual attention.
After customer complaints, the credit union lowered the interest rate on personal loans.
Dr. Park advised Fatima to lower her sugar and salt intake for better heart health.
文法句型
lower + noun (price/volume/temperature/rate)
用法筆記
Object is typically a measurable quantity (price, temperature, volume, rate, level, number). Can apply to effort or intensity as well ('lower your voice'). Distinguished from sense 1 by abstract rather than physical objects.
常見錯誤
3. to make the quality, character, or moral value of something become noticeably wo
to make the quality, character, or moral value of something become noticeably worse
The constant shouting between the candidates lowered the level of the political debate.
lowered the level — made the standard worse
Adding too much water to the soup lowered its quality and made it taste thin.
Using the same old jokes lowered the entertainment value of the comedian's show.
The poor script lowered the quality of the play the students rehearsed for weeks.
Mobile phones in the classroom lowered the attention that students paid to the lesson.
- improve
make better in quality or character
文法句型
lower + noun (standards/quality/tone)
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2: this sense focuses on a decline in quality, character, or moral standard rather than a numeric reduction. Often used with 'standards', 'quality', 'tone', or 'character' as the object.
常見錯誤
4. to damage your own dignity or reputation by doing something dishonest, shameful,
to damage your own dignity or reputation by doing something dishonest, shameful, or beneath what people expect of you
Kwame told the truth because he did not want to lower himself by lying.
lower oneself — reflexive, damage one's own dignity
By cheating on the exam, Amara lowered herself in the opinion of her classmates.
The politician lowered himself by shouting insults at his opponent during the debate.
Jack feared that borrowing from his brother would lower him in their parents' eyes.
Nadia would never lower herself by spreading false rumours about a coworker.
- degrade oneself
more formal; suggests a more serious loss of dignity or moral standing
- humble oneself
can be positive (showing humility) unlike 'lower oneself' which is always negative
- elevate oneself
improve one's standing or reputation
文法句型
lower + oneself
用法筆記
Almost always reflexive ('lower oneself') or passive ('I felt lowered by the experience'). Typically followed by a phrase explaining the action that causes the loss of respect, often introduced by 'by + gerund'.
常見錯誤
5. if the sky or clouds lower, they become dark and appear threatening, as if a sto
if the sky or clouds lower, they become dark and appear threatening, as if a storm or bad weather is coming
The sky lowered over the coast as the sailors hurried their boats to shore.
sky lowered over [location] — literary weather description
Dark clouds lowered above the valley, and farmers rushed to cover their crops with tarpaulins.
The sky lowered so much by noon that the streetlights came on during the day.
Heavy gray clouds lowered over the mountain range, promising heavy rain before the evening arrived.
文法句型
the sky/clouds lower
lower + over/above + location
用法筆記
Literary or descriptive register. The subject is almost always 'sky', 'clouds', or 'weather'. Never used with a direct object (always intransitive). Distinguish from the homograph 'lower' (pronounced /laʊər/) meaning 'to frown or look sullen' — this sense is pronounced /ˈloʊərd/.