Great Depression

American  

noun

1. the economic crisis and period of low business activity in the U.S. and other countries, roughly beginning with the stock-market crash in October, 1929, and continuing through most of the 1930s.

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Depression, Great Cultural  

1. The great slowdown in the American economy, the worst in the country's history, which began in 1929 and lasted until the early 1940s. Many banks and businesses failed, and millions of people lost their jobs. (See Dust Bowl; fireside chats; Hoovervilles; New Deal; Okies; Franklin D. Roosevelt; and stock market Crash of 1929.)

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Usage

When and what was the Great Depression? The Great Depression was a worldwide economic crisis that lasted for much of the 1930s. It heavily impacted the United States, where millions of people faced unemployment, homelessness, and poverty. In economics, a depression is a period during which business, employment, and stock market values fall to very low levels for a significant amount of time (typically more than three years). The Great in Great Depression refers to the fact that it was the worst depression in U. S. history. The start of the Great Depression is often cited as the U. S. stock market crash of 1929, but its causes are complex. Its effects were also complex and widespread and are still discussed. Some can even be seen today in the form of government programs and agencies created to address the crisis at the time.

Example Sentences

Popcorn became the go-to movie snack during the 1930s as theaters sought new revenue streams during the Great Depression, said film historian Ross Melnick, a professor at UC Santa Barbara.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

The current turmoil has been compared with the financial crisis of 2008-09, the most serious such episode since the 1930s, when the Great Depression raged after the 1920s stock market bubble burst.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

A recent Wall Street Journal analysis suggests that more people moved out of the U.S. than moved in last year, something that hasn’t definitively occurred since the Great Depression.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

Jukeboxes helped save the music industry when record sales tanked during the Great Depression and people sought inexpensive entertainment after the repeal of Prohibition.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

As the stock market crashed and the United States tumbled into the Great Depression, she was sent to Houston to help with a court case.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield