Take down

The first two are OK in informal language.

The meaning of 'take down' in the third is unclear.

I heard it maybe 2 times, when people used the word 'take down' regarding police officers. I'll try to explain the way I see it:

Situation:
Police car asked another car on the highway to pull over. After police officer came up to the driver and asked him for several documents, driver decided to get off the car. He seemed a bit anxious about something, and police officer noticed it. He

Hi

In the context of police action, personally, I'd say it is almost always used to mean 'kill'

- Police should give a clear caution before they use lethal force

- They should not take a man down without warning

Possibly, the phrase could be used in relation to an electrical device like a taser, but that doesn't sound quite right to me. The police should give f

... in the context of sport, it is as you say:

- Brazil were taken down to a 1-0 defeat by Germany

Dave

In the context of the man who tried to flee, I would assume he was tackled by the second cop, not that he was killed by him.

Hi

I'm happy to peaceably disagree with Blue Jay but, in UK spy films, when they say 'Man Down' they do not mean that he has been harmlessly tackled to the ground by a policeman

Dave :-)

I would interpret man down to mean he has been killed or seriously injured.
If the police where you live took down a man who was trying to flee after a routine traffic stop, would you assume they shot him? Where I live (North Carolina, USA) it is not common for police to shoot people under those circumstances.

Hi

I see what you mean. In that case, I understand it means either that they took him down to the police station or that they took his details down in a police notebook

In those circumstances, you wouldn't expect the police to take the man down (in the other sense!)

I think you're right

Dave

You can also say "The sniper took out over 200 enemies.."