slump
verb (used without object)
to drop or fall heavily; collapse.
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slump
American
[sluhmp]
/ slʌmp /
verb (used without object)
-
slumps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
slumped,
past participle, past
-
slumping
present participle
-
to drop or fall heavily; collapse.
Suddenly she slumped to the floor.
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to assume a slouching, bowed, or bent position or posture.
Stand up straight and don't slump!
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to decrease or fall suddenly and markedly, as prices or the market.
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to decline or deteriorate, as health, business, quality, or efficiency.
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to sink into a bog, muddy place, etc., or through ice or snow.
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to sink heavily, as the spirits.
noun
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slumps
plural
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an act or instance of slumping.
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a decrease, decline, or deterioration.
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a period of decline or deterioration.
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any mild recession in the economy as a whole or in a particular industry.
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a period during which a person performs slowly, inefficiently, or ineffectively, especially a period during which an athlete or team fails to play or score as well as usual.
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a slouching, bowed, or bent position or posture, especially of the shoulders.
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a landslide or rockslide.
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the vertical subsidence of freshly mixed concrete that is a measure of consistency and stiffness.
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New England Cooking. a dessert made with cooked fruit, especially apples or berries, topped with a thick layer of biscuit dough or crumbs.
slump
1
British
/ slʌmp /
verb
-
to sink or fall heavily and suddenly
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to relax ungracefully
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(of business activity, etc) to decline suddenly; collapse
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(of health, interest, etc) to deteriorate or decline suddenly or markedly
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(of soil or rock) to slip down a slope, esp a cliff, usually with a rotational movement
noun
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a sudden or marked decline or failure, as in progress or achievement; collapse
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a decline in commercial activity, prices, etc
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economics another word for depression
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the act of slumping
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a slipping of earth or rock; landslide
Slump
2
British
/ slʌmp /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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slumpsimple
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slumpssimple
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have slumpedperfect
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has slumpedperfect
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am slumpingprogressive
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are slumpingprogressive
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is slumpingprogressive
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have been slumpingperfect progressive
-
has been slumpingperfect progressive
Past
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slumpedsimple
-
had slumpedperfect
-
was slumpingprogressive
-
were slumpingprogressive
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had been slumpingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of slump
1670–80; originally, to sink into a bog or mud; perhaps imitative ( cf. plump 2)
Explanation
To slump is to fall or slouch down. It's also a downturn in performance — a struggling ballplayer and a sinking economy are both in a slump. There are many kinds of slumps, but they all involve things going downhill. If you slide down in your chair, you slump. Other slumps are less physical. If a successful quarterback starts losing games and throwing interceptions, that's a slump. The original meaning of slump, back in the 1670s, was "fall or sink into a muddy place," while the more figurative meanings came much later.
Vocabulary lists containing slump
The Lingo of Body Language
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Long Way Down
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Dear Martin
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A writer facing a slump finds fresh energy when his children’s new nanny proves to be an admirer of his books.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
When 3 in the afternoon rolls around on a particularly bad work day, you’re in desperate need of a fun sweet treat to get you out of the slump.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
The slump has had a big impact on many of the country's personal investors who bought tech stocks over the past year.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Polizzi said the county-wide slump in TV and film production is partially to blame.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
I slump to the floor as soon as she’s gone.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Born in Nagoya, Japan in 1955, Mr Toriyama broke into the comic book world in the early 1980s with Dr. Slump, which tells the story of a little girl robot Arale and her scientist creator.
From BBC ● Mar. 8, 2024
His Dr Slump series that started in 1980 became a huge hit, elevating him to a best-selling young comic artist.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 7, 2024
He was expected to release a new mixtape with rapper Ski Mask the Slump God this year.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 8, 2019
Set during the Great Depression, also known in Britain as the Great Slump, of the 1930s, the story returns Mary Poppins to the same multistoried house at 17 Cherry Tree Lane.
From New York Times ● Dec. 18, 2018
That mean attack, too, would be characteristic of Slump.
From Ralph in the Switch Tower by Allen Chapman
She slumps over a cloth in the arms of a caretaker with her eyes closed, but rouses when another person brings her what appears to be raw meat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
They give airlines financial stability since passengers keep spending on their co-branded credit cards even when travel slumps.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Analysts attributed slumps in Tesla sales in 2025 to be partly due to customers turning against Musk.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
Too wet and it slumps into mush territory.
From Salon ● May 25, 2026
Eventually he gives up and slumps on the beach, head in his hands, sun glinting gold in his eyes.
From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer
Sunrisers, who comfortably beat Southern Brave in Friday's Eliminator, slumped to 26-3 at the end of the powerplay and failed to recover.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
The result: Internet sales boomed in June and slumped in July — down 2.3%.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
MI London, who were previously winless in five games, slumped to 23-5 and 64-8 and were on the brink of elimination to their rivals London Spirit.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
MarketAxess’s stock price has slumped since then, falling more than 70% from its peak in December 2020.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
The piano player slumped in the seat with his eyes closed.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
AstraZeneca shares were slumping while Bristol-Myers Squibb’s stock was jumping on Monday on reported deal talks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
AstraZeneca shares were slumping while Bristol Myers Squibb was jumping on Monday on reported deal talks.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
The ChiNext Price Index rose 0.4% after slumping 11% last week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
It quickly surged in value before slumping sharply.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
Rubbing my eyes so the whites look a little red, slumping my shoulders, hanging my head, and poking my bottom lip out just the slightest bit so I look sad...
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
