lows

IPA/ləʊ/
KK[lˈoz]IPA/loʊ/

lows — noun

1. periods when life feels especially hard, unhappy, or discouraging for someone.

1.nounB2
Definition

periods when life feels especially hard, unhappy, or discouraging for someone.

Example

Brooke went through several lows after her small shop closed in winter.

go through lows for difficult emotional periods

Kenji writes honestly about the highs and lows of caring for his father.

the highs and lows of [activity or relationship]

Common collocations
  • emotional lows
  • personal lows
  • deep lows
  • the highs and lows
Synonyms
  • slumps

    often stresses a drop in mood, activity, or success over a period

  • rough patches

    more informal and broader; can describe difficult times in work or relationships

  • downturns

    more often used for business or economic decline than personal emotion

Antonyms
  • highs

    happy, successful, or exciting periods that balance the lows

  • good spells

    neutral phrase for stretches when life goes smoothly

Grammar Patterns

a low in someone's life

the highs and lows of [something]

go through lows

Usage Note

Often used in the plural for emotional or difficult stretches of life, especially in the phrase 'the highs and lows'. This sense usually refers to feelings and experiences, not to numbers or measurements.

2. points where an amount, score, price, temperature, or similar measure drops to i

2.nounB2
Definition

points where an amount, score, price, temperature, or similar measure drops to its smallest value.

Example

Tech shares hit new lows after the company delayed its winter product launch.

hit new lows for prices, scores, or measured levels

By dawn, the desert town recorded lows near five degrees above zero.

record lows for temperatures

Common collocations
  • record lows
  • new lows
  • winter lows
  • all-time lows
Synonyms
  • bottoms

    slightly less formal and often used for markets, prices, or emotional states

  • minimums

    more technical and often used in statistics or formal reports

  • nadirs

    formal and more literary; often used for the absolute worst point

Antonyms
  • highs

    the opposite end of a measured range

  • peaks

    stresses the highest point rather than the lowest

Grammar Patterns

hit new lows

fall to lows not seen since [time]

winter lows

Usage Note

Common with verbs such as 'hit', 'reach', 'record', and 'fall to'. It is used for measurable levels such as prices, temperatures, sales, or water levels rather than for someone's emotional state.

3. weather systems where the air pressure is lower than in nearby areas, often brin

3.nounC1
Definition

weather systems where the air pressure is lower than in nearby areas, often bringing cloud, wind, or rain.

Example

Two Atlantic lows are moving toward the Irish coast this evening.

a low moves across [place] in weather reports

Farmers watched the map as a chain of lows formed over the warm sea.

Common collocations
  • Atlantic lows
  • deep lows
  • passing lows
  • lows and highs
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • highs

    weather systems with higher pressure, often linked to calmer conditions

Grammar Patterns

a low moves across [place]

deep lows

lows and highs

Usage Note

Used mainly in weather forecasts and reports, often alongside 'highs' for high-pressure systems. In everyday conversation, people more often say 'low-pressure systems' if the forecast style is not needed.

4. the slow, powerful gears a driver uses to start moving, climb steep ground, or g

4.nounC2
Definition

the slow, powerful gears a driver uses to start moving, climb steep ground, or get through mud.

Example

On the rocky trail, Cyrus switched to the lows before the jeep began to climb.

switch to the lows before climbing difficult ground

The driving coach told Mira to use the lows on the wet hill.

Common collocations
  • use the lows
  • in the lows
  • low-range gears
  • shift into the lows
Synonyms
  • low gears

    the fuller and more usual form outside short driver talk

  • low range

    used especially for four-wheel-drive vehicles rather than ordinary cars

Antonyms
  • high gears

    faster gears used once the vehicle is already moving well

Grammar Patterns

use the lows

shift into the lows

stay in the lows

Usage Note

Mostly used by drivers talking about manual gearboxes or low-range settings in off-road vehicles. In general driving talk, people usually say 'low gear' or 'low range' in the singular unless they are referring to the set of lower gears together.

lows — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four expressions can describe a difficult period, but they point to different kinds of trouble. 'Lows' is broad and often personal or emotional, especially in the phrase 'the highs and lows'. 'Slumps' usually stress a noticeable drop in mood, energy, sales, or performance after things were better before. 'Downturns' is more formal and is especially common for business or economic decline. 'Rough patches' is the most informal and can describe almost any stretch of difficulty, including relationships, work, or health. Compare 'She has been through some serious lows this year,' 'The team is in a mid-season slump,' 'The industry survived several downturns,' and 'Their marriage hit a rough patch last winter.'

lows ↗slumps ↗downturns ↗rough patches

Common collocations

Nouns

  • record lows
  • winter lows
  • Atlantic lows
  • low gears

Phrases

  • the highs and lows
  • hit new lows
  • use the lows
  • move north as lows

Prepositions

  • through the lows
  • out of the lows
  • under a low
  • in the lows

Etymology

Old NorseMiddle EnglishEnglish

Lows is the regular plural form of the noun 'low' and also the regular present-tense form of the verb 'low'. The noun and adjective 'low' came into Middle English from Old Norse 'lagr', meaning not high or lying near the ground. The separate verb 'low', meaning to make the deep call of cattle, has long existed in English as an imitation of that sound. Modern English therefore uses the same spelling for both ideas, and 'lows' simply adds the ordinary -s ending to each one.

First known use

12th century

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Noun (1)