business cycle

American  

noun

1. a recurrent fluctuation in the total business activity of a country.

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business cycle British  

noun

1. Also called: trade cycle.  the recurrent fluctuation between boom and depression in the economic activity of a capitalist country

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business cycle Cultural  

1. A period during which business activity reaches a low point, recovers, expands, reaches a high point, decreases to a new low point, and so on.

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Etymology

Origin of business cycle

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Founders including Huu and Vinh said the current downturn is part of a natural business cycle, and stronger firms would eventually emerge offering better products.

From Barron's

“What you want is to have monetary policy that’s attuned to the business cycle,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

For Charles Dow, the volatile financial landscape around the turn of the 20th century largely reflected business cycles that drove ebbs and flows in corporate profits.

From The Wall Street Journal

Policy uncertainty taking on a bigger role in the eyes of investors doesn’t mean that macroeconomic fundamentals — such as economic growth, business cycle and corporate earnings — no longer matter.

From MarketWatch

And the productivity gains so far in 2025 represent a “slight acceleration, but not a radical departure” from the trends in the recent business cycles, writes Stephen Stanley, chief U.S. economist for Santander.

From Barron's