jot down
A2 neutral separable transitive
In simple words
To write something fast so you don't forget it.
Meanings
1 A2 neutral
To write something quickly and briefly so you will remember it.
"Let me jot down your email address before I forget."
"I jotted down a few notes during the lecture."
— Widely used construction; standard usage cited in Cambridge and Oxford learner's dictionaries
Grammar: separable
2 A2 neutral
To make a quick written record of ideas or information, especially informally.
"She jotted down her initial thoughts before the meeting started."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Extremely common in everyday English. The object can be placed between 'jot' and 'down' (jot it down) or after (jot down the number). Always implies brevity and speed — you jot down a phone number, not an essay. Used in both British and American English.
Commonly used with
number address notes idea name details reminder
Forms
Base
jot down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
jots down
he/she/it
Past simple
joted down
yesterday
Past participle
joted down
have + pp
-ing form
joting down
continuous
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