slump

[sluhmp]

verb (used without object)

1. to drop or fall heavily; collapse.

   Suddenly she slumped to the floor.

2. to assume a slouching, bowed, or bent position or posture.

   Stand up straight and don't slump!

3. to decrease or fall suddenly and markedly, as prices or the market.

4. to decline or deteriorate, as health, business, quality, or efficiency.

5. to sink into a bog, muddy place, etc., or through ice or snow.

6. to sink heavily, as the spirits.

noun

1. an act or instance of slumping.

2. a decrease, decline, or deterioration.

   Synonyms: setback, reverse, lapse

3. a period of decline or deterioration.

4. any mild recession in the economy as a whole or in a particular industry.

5. 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.

6. a slouching, bowed, or bent position or posture, especially of the shoulders.

7. a landslide or rockslide.

8. the vertical subsidence of freshly mixed concrete that is a measure of consistency and stiffness.

9. 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

/ slʌmp /

verb

1. to sink or fall heavily and suddenly

2. to relax ungracefully

3. (of business activity, etc) to decline suddenly; collapse

4. (of health, interest, etc) to deteriorate or decline suddenly or markedly

5. (of soil or rock) to slip down a slope, esp a cliff, usually with a rotational movement

noun

1. a sudden or marked decline or failure, as in progress or achievement; collapse

2. a decline in commercial activity, prices, etc

3. economics another word for depression

4. the act of slumping

5. a slipping of earth or rock; landslide

Slump

²

/ slʌmp /

noun

1. another name for the Depression

Other Word Forms

• unslumped adjective
• unslumping adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of slump¹

1670–80; originally, to sink into a bog or mud; perhaps imitative ( plump ² )

Word History and Origins

Origin of slump¹

C17: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Low German slump bog, Norwegian slumpa to fall

Example Sentences

Despite his apparent willingness to modulate his stance based on new information, he remains cautious about declaring either a labor-market slump or victory over inflation.

Read more on Barron's

It shows that the dollar suffered its worst six-month performance since the early 1980s this year, slumping more than 10% over the six months ended in June.

Read more on Barron's

Carolyn Rogers endorsed a competition shakeup in the highly concentrated financial-services industry, saying the country’s banking sector is an oligopoly and changes could help lift Canada’s prolonged productivity slump.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

OTTAWA—The Bank of Canada’s No. 2 official endorsed a competition shakeup in the highly concentrated financial-services industry, saying the country’s banking sector is an oligopoly and changes could help lift Canada’s prolonged productivity slump.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

There was a slight slump when he returned, which he firmly banished with a hat trick in late February.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• collapse 
• deteriorate 
• droop 
• drop 
• fall 
• fall off 
• go down 
• hunch 
• plummet 
• plunge 
• sag 
• slide 
• slip 
• slouch 
• tumble