down payment

noun

: a part of the full price paid at the time of purchase or delivery with the balance to be paid later

broadly : the first step in a process

Examples of down payment in a Sentence

She made a 10 percent down payment on the car.

We put a down payment on the house.

Recent Examples on the Web

While the rate may be going down, renters can expect to 35% of their monthly paycheck on rent, and a typical starter home costs around $276,600, taking grads around 4 years to save up for a down payment. —Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026

These include tens of thousands of dollars for a down payment, credit scores above 580 or 620 and traditional W-2 income documentation. —Izabela Engel, Baltimore Sun, 28 Apr. 2026

And don’t overlook the $173,000 down payment required to get that payment. —Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 27 Apr. 2026

Still, these are just the averages, and your rate offer will hinge on factors like your credit score, down payment size and debt-to-income ratio. —Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for down payment

• copayment
• embayment
• nonpayment
• prepayment
• repayment
• claimant
• overpayment
• underpayment

Kids Definition

down payment

noun

: a part of the full price paid at the time of purchase or delivery with the remainder to be paid later