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down the road — in the future; at some point later in time

Part of speech: ADVERB

Definition: in the future; at some point later in time

Pronunciation (IPA): /daʊn ðə roʊd/

Example Sentences

  • I want to have kids down the road, but not right now.
  • There's a McDonald's down the road if you're hungry.
  • Down the road, we might all be working from Mars!

down the road

ADVERB

[/daʊn ðə roʊd/]

in the future; at some point later in time

in the future; at some point later in time
💡 Concept

in the future; at some point later in time

Perfect the code today to lighten tomorrow's load down the road!
🎵 Rhyme

Perfect the code today to lighten tomorrow's load down the road!

Got the picture? Now let's practice.

🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/daʊn ðə roʊd/
🇬🇧 UK/daʊn ðə rəʊd/

🌳Etymology

Origin

This phrasal expression combines Old English 'down' (meaning downward or along) and 'road' (from Old English 'rad', meaning journey or path). The phrase originally referred to physical movement along a path, but underwent metaphorical extension to denote temporal progression, eventually acquiring the meaning 'in the future' or 'at some later point'.

Breakdown

down (along/forward) + the (definite article) + road (path/journey). The spatial sense of traveling along a road was metaphorically extended to represent movement through time.

🎵Rhyme

toad
load
code

🔗Collocations

somewhere down the road
further down the road
a little way down the road
problems down the road
think down the road
plan down the road

📝Examples

“I want to have kids down the road, but not right now.”

“There's a McDonald's down the road if you're hungry.”

😄 Fun example

“Down the road, we might all be working from Mars!”

“This decision could cause problems down the road.”

📚Related Words

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