Be down with means: To be alright, okay, or in agreement with; approve of; stand for; to accept as good, right, or preferred.. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
be down with
(idiomatic, slang, or, AAVE) To be alright, okay, or in agreement with; approve of; stand for; to accept as good, right, or preferred.
Seen in the wild
3 citations · last seen May 2026
Seen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
I have waaaay to many caveats, starting to get self conscious XD I think she'd say no if someone seemed to have feelings for her in any way, cuz she'd feel bad leading them on. She'd be down with people she knows we…
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BlueskyMay 2026
On the one hand, this could be really cool but on the other hand, I'm probably not going to be down with lionizing the toxic dirt bag era of his life that Bourdain personally regretted making sound appealing to a whol…
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BlueskyMay 2026
I've been using Brave browser on my phone and laptop for a couple years now and I'm pretty happy with it. It functions just like Chrome except with the privacy focus. I can't imagine people are going to be down with C…
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Definitions
US
#1·Apr 26, 2026US
(idiomatic, slang, or, AAVE) To be alright, okay, or in agreement with; approve of; stand for; to accept as good, right, or preferred.
See it in action
“I have waaaay to many caveats, starting to get self conscious XD I think she'd say no if someone seemed to have feelings for her in any way, cuz she'd feel bad leading them on. She'd be down with people she knows well and is friends with asking for it as a casual thing”
“On the one hand, this could be really cool but on the other hand, I'm probably not going to be down with lionizing the toxic dirt bag era of his life that Bourdain personally regretted making sound appealing to a whole generation of cooks not ready for that kind of life.”
“I've been using Brave browser on my phone and laptop for a couple years now and I'm pretty happy with it. It functions just like Chrome except with the privacy focus. I can't imagine people are going to be down with Chrome doing this... but then again... sigh...”
For parents
Be down with means: To be alright, okay, or in agreement with; approve of; stand for; to accept as good, right, or preferred.. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
be down with means: To be alright, okay, or in agreement with; approve of; stand for; to accept as good, right, or preferred.. Register: very informal, slang. Suitable only for casual conversation, chat and social media. Do not use in business, academic or news writing. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
Cluster: agree
Heard in the wild
“I have waaaay to many caveats, starting to get self conscious XD I think she'd say no if someone seemed to have feelings for her in any way, cuz she'd feel bad leading them on. She'd be down with people she knows well and is friends with asking for it as a casual thing”
— Bluesky· May 2026“On the one hand, this could be really cool but on the other hand, I'm probably not going to be down with lionizing the toxic dirt bag era of his life that Bourdain personally regretted making sound appealing to a whole generation of cooks not ready for that kind of life.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“I've been using Brave browser on my phone and laptop for a couple years now and I'm pretty happy with it. It functions just like Chrome except with the privacy focus. I can't imagine people are going to be down with Chrome doing this... but then again... sigh...”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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🎤About Black culture & AAVE slang
Slang from Black American Vernacular English (AAVE), hip-hop, drag and ballroom culture, the Caribbean, and NYC street vocabulary. The single largest source of new mainstream English slang in living memory.
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Other words near "be down with" (B)
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