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down low

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down low

noun down lows · down-low · downlow

  1. countable, uncountable A state of secrecy. I'll tell you, but keep it on the down low.
  2. countable, uncountable The state of being a man who secretly sleeps with people other than his partner. [Chorus]:And keep it on the down low Nobody has to know.
  3. countable, uncountable The state of being a man who secretly sleeps with other men. I sleep with men, but I am not bisexual, and I am certainly not gay. I am not going to your clinics, I am not going to read your brochures, I am not going to get tested. I assure you that none of the brothers on the down low like me are paying the least bit of attention to anything you have to say.
  4. countable, uncountable A man who secretly sleeps with other men. I think it must be hard for trans men who like guys. Most gay guys don't like vaginas. […] The guys I'm interested in are down-lows, DLs.

adjective more down low · most down low · down-low · downlow

  1. of a person Undercover or lying about one's identity.
  2. of a man Purporting to be heterosexual while engaged in sex with men.

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MLA

"down low." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/down%20low. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

down low. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/down%20low

Chicago

"down low." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/down%20low.

BibTeX
@misc{down_low_2026,
  title = {down low},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/down%20low},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}