To sentence someone to prison; to expel a student from a British university; or to order someone to go to a lower floor or area.
To send someone to prison; or in British universities, to be told to leave permanently; or simply to tell someone to go to a lower level.
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
(British, informal) To sentence someone to a term in prison.
"The judge sent him down for five years for his role in the fraud."
He was sent down for six years after being convicted of grievous bodily harm.
— The Guardian, 2019
(British) To expel a student from Oxford or Cambridge University, either temporarily or permanently.
"He was sent down from Oxford in his second year after being caught cheating in his exams."
To direct someone or something to go to a lower floor, level, or area.
"Send the luggage down to the lobby — we're checking out in ten minutes."
To send someone or something physically to a lower level.
To send someone to prison; or in British universities, to be told to leave permanently; or simply to tell someone to go to a lower level.
The 'sent to prison' sense is British informal/slang. The 'expelled from university' sense is specifically British, associated with Oxford and Cambridge — American universities use 'expelled'. The literal sense of sending something to a lower floor is neutral and universal.
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Listen to native speakers using "send down" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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