Definition of "downbeat" []

• Music The downward stroke made by a conductor to indicate the first beat of a measure. (noun)
• Music The first beat of a measure. (noun)
• Informal A period of stagnation or inactivity. (noun)
• Cheerless; pessimistic. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Atop lazy swirls of blues riffs, a voice croaks: "It's what you call a downbeat, it's what you call a downbeat.""
• "They are not "downbeat" -- perhaps even when they should be."
• "Economists were universally downbeat, which isn't totally surprising."