download

download — verb

1. to save a digital item such as a file, program, piece of music, or other informa

1.verbtransitiveA2
Definition

to save a digital item such as a file, program, piece of music, or other information onto your computer or phone after retrieving it from the internet, a remote server, or another device.

Example

Eshe downloaded the training videos from the company server to her tablet.

download + [object] + from [source] + to [destination]

You can download the latest weather report from the national website.

modal: can download [something] from [source]

Common collocations
  • download a file/app/video/music/photo/document/report
  • download from the internet/a website/the cloud/a server
  • download to your computer/phone/laptop/tablet/device
Synonyms
  • save

    broader — does not specifically involve receiving from the internet; saving can mean storing a file already on your device.

  • transfer

    more general — covers moving data between any two devices or accounts in either direction.

  • install

    refers to setting up software after the download is complete, not the act of obtaining it.

Antonyms
  • upload

    the opposite action — sending data from your device to the internet or a remote computer.

Grammar Patterns

download + [object] + from [source]

download + [object] + to [destination]

Usage Note

Distinguish from 'upload': download means receiving data, while upload means sending data away. The object of the verb is usually the file type or content being obtained ('download the file', 'download an app'). You can also use it without an object when the context is clear: 'The device is downloading.'

Common Mistakes

I uploaded a movie from Netflix last night.
I downloaded a movie from Netflix last night.
'upload' sends data away; 'download' receives it.
She downloaded the software onto the cloud.
She downloaded the software from the cloud.
Data is downloaded from a remote source, not onto it.

download — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Download specifically means receiving data from the internet or a remote computer onto your own device. Save is broader — it means storing a file to a particular location on a device, whether the file came from the internet or was created locally. Transfer covers moving data between any two devices, locations, or accounts without specifying direction. Install goes a step further: after you download software, you run a set-up process to make it usable. For example, you download a photo from an email, save it to your desktop, transfer it to a USB drive, and later install the software from that same drive.

save ↗transferinstall ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • download link
  • download button
  • download page
  • download manager

Adverbs

Phrases

  • available for download

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishModern EnglishComputing terminology

The word 'download' combines 'down-' (from Old English 'dūne', meaning 'from a higher to a lower position') with 'load' (from Old English 'lād', meaning 'a way or carrying'). It entered computer vocabulary in the 1970s, when data moved from a central mainframe (above) to a smaller terminal (below). The opposite term 'upload' was formed by the same logic around the same period.