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• industrial revolution
  industrial revolution

  noun

  none the industrial revolution or the Industrial Revolution the totality of the changes in economic and social organization that began about 1760 in England and later in other countries, characterized chiefly by the replacement of hand tools with power-driven machines, such as the power loom and the steam engine, and by the concentration of industry in large establishments.
• Industrial Revolution
  Industrial Revolution

  noun

  the transformation in the 18th and 19th centuries of first Britain and then other W European countries and the US into industrial nations

industrial revolution

American  

[in-duhs-tree-uhl rev-uh-loo-shuhn] / ɪnˈdʌs tri əl ˌrɛv əˈlu ʃən /

noun

1. none the industrial revolution or the Industrial Revolution the totality of the changes in economic and social organization that began about 1760 in England and later in other countries, characterized chiefly by the replacement of hand tools with power-driven machines, such as the power loom and the steam engine, and by the concentration of industry in large establishments.

2. any period of change to the economic and social organization of a country, region, etc., that is characterized by the replacement of hand tools with power-driven machines and the concentration of industry in large establishments.

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Industrial Revolution British  

noun

1. the transformation in the 18th and 19th centuries of first Britain and then other W European countries and the US into industrial nations

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Industrial Revolution Cultural  

1. The rapid industrial growth that began in England during the middle of the eighteenth century and then spread over the next 50 years to many other countries, including the United States. The revolution depended on devices such as the steam engine (see James Watt), which were invented at a rapidly increasing rate during the period. The Industrial Revolution brought on a rapid concentration of people in cities and changed the nature of work for many people. (See Luddites.)

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Etymology

Origin of industrial revolution

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

industrial revolution Industrial Revolution

His model was the Bank of England, whose funding was key to Britain’s industrial revolution, which Hamilton wanted the U.S. to emulate.

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026

“From a macro perspective, the AI industrial revolution continues,” Thummel told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026

Artificial intelligence, Leo said at the time, represented the industrial revolution of the modern age, and posed “challenges to human dignity, justice and labor.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026

We are in the foothills of a technological industrial revolution that has huge implications for every aspect of our lives - not least the future of work.

From BBC ● May 14, 2026

We not only take it for granted—we tend to talk about the biologic revolution as though expecting to make profits from it, rather like a version of last century’s industrial revolution.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

But the Industrial Revolution allowed for wider production, making dolls' houses cheaper and more accessible for families.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

The Industrial Revolution moved into high gear because energy was suddenly cheap.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

Because we all know what that means: In history written by the victors, the Luddites impeded technological progress, attempted to halt innovation, and were soundly defeated by the Industrial Revolution.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

Since the Industrial Revolution, human activities have roughly tripled global nitrogen deposition.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 2, 2026

Much as the Industrial Revolution changed the environment for moths, farming changed the environment for plants.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond