lour

UK: /laʊə/ US: (lou^ər, lou′ər)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

lour  (lou^ər, lou′ər), v.i., n. 

1. lower².

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

lour / laʊə/ verb

1. a variant spelling of lower2

ˈlouring adjective

ˈlouringly adverb

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

low•er¹ /ˈloʊɚ/   v. 

1. to (cause to) descend;
   (cause to) be let or put down: [~ + object]
   to lower a flag.
   [no object]
   The sun lowered in the west.
2. to (cause to) become lower in height or level: [~ + object]
   to lower the water in a canal.
   [no object]
   The water level lowered.
3. to reduce in amount, price, degree, or force:
   [~ + object] lowered the amount of salt in our diet.
4. to make or become less loud or lower in pitch: [~ + object]
   He lowered his voice.
   [no object]
   Her voice lowered and she spoke softly in my ear.
5. to bring down in rank or status:
   [~ + object] wouldn't lower himself to beg.

adj. 

6. comparative of low¹.
7. Geography of or relating to the parts of a river farthest from the source:
   [before a noun] the lower Mississippi.

low•er•most, adj. 

low•er² /ˈlaʊɚ/   v. [no object]

1. to be dark and threatening:
   The sky lowered just before the storm.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

low•er¹  (lō′ər), v.t. 

1. to cause to descend;
   let or put down:
   to lower a flag.
2. to make lower in height or level:
   to lower the water in a canal.
3. to reduce in amount, price, degree, force, etc.
4. to make less loud:
   Please lower your voice.
5. to bring down in rank or estimation;
   degrade;
   humble;
   abase (oneself ), as by some sacrifice of self-respect or dignity:
   His bad actions lowered him in my eyes.
6. [Music.] to make lower in pitch;
   flatten.
7. Phonetics to alter the articulation of (a vowel) by increasing the distance of the tongue downward from the palate:
   The vowel of "clerk'' is lowered to
   (ä) in the British pronunciation.

v.i. 

8. to become lower, grow less, or diminish, as in amount, intensity, or degree:
   The brook lowers in early summer. Stock prices rise and lower constantly.
9. to descend;
   sink:
   the sun lowering in the west.

adj. 

10. comparative of low ¹.
11. of or pertaining to those portions of a river farthest from the source.
12. (often cap.) Stratig. noting an early division of a period, system, or the like:
    the Lower Devonian.

n. 

13. a denture for the lower jaw.
14. a lower berth.

• Middle English, comparative of low¹ (adjective, adjectival) 1150–1200

low′er•a•ble, adj. 
Synonyms

• 1. drop, depress.
• 3. decrease, diminish, lessen.
• 4. soften.
• 5. humiliate, dishonor, disgrace, debase.

Antonyms

• 3. raise, increase.
• 5. elevate, honor.

low•er²  (lou′ər, lou^ər), v.i. 

1. to be dark and threatening, as the sky or the weather.
2. to frown, scowl, or look sullen;
   glower:
   He lowers at people when he's in a bad mood.

n. 

3. a dark, threatening appearance, as of the sky or weather.
4. a frown or scowl.

Also, lour. 

• 1250–1300; Middle English lour (noun, nominal), louren (verb, verbal) to frown, lurk; akin to German lauern, Dutch loeren

Synonyms

• 1. darken, threaten.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

lower / ˈləʊə/ adjective

1. being below one or more other things: the lower shelf, the lower animals
2. reduced in amount or value: a lower price
3. (of a limit or bound) less than or equal to one or more numbers or variables
4. (sometimes capital) denoting the early part or division of a period, system, formation, etc: Lower Silurian

verb

1. (transitive) to cause to become low or on a lower level; bring, put, or cause to move down
2. (transitive) to reduce or bring down in estimation, dignity, value, etc: to lower oneself
3. to reduce or be reduced: to lower one's confidence
4. (transitive) to make quieter: to lower the radio
5. (transitive) to reduce the pitch of
6. (transitive) to modify the articulation of (a vowel) by bringing the tongue further away from the roof of the mouth
7. (intransitive) to diminish or become less

Etymology: 12th Century (comparative of low¹); C17 (vb)

lower, lour / ˈlaʊə/ verb (intransitive)

1. (esp of the sky, weather, etc) to be overcast, dark, and menacing
2. to scowl or frown

noun

1. a menacing scowl or appearance

ˈlowering, ˈlouring adjective

ˈloweringly, ˈlouringly adverb