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

See Examples For:

business cycle

“It has had a very successful run, a high rate of growth, it’s not as subject to the fluctuations of the business cycle as maybe other things are.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

“The business cycle would be well served if you move early and have to move less, than move later and have to move more,” she said.

From MarketWatch ● May 30, 2026

These worker groups tend to experience changes in the business cycle more intensely than other workers.

From Barron's ● May 22, 2026

In the later stages of the business cycle, more money is allocated into “defensive” sectors, which tend to be relatively stable regardless of economic conditions.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 22, 2026

I should expect this sort of thing to happen normally, and not infrequently, and I should expect gold to come in and go out many times in the course of a business cycle.

From The Value of Money by Benjamin M. Anderson