downturn
Americannoun
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an act or instance of turning down or the state of being turned down.
the downturn of a lower lip in a permanent pout.
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a turn or trend downward; decrease or decline.
The new year brought a downturn in the cost of living.
noun
Etymology
Origin of downturn
First recorded in 1925–30; noun use of verb phrase turn down
Explanation
A dip or reduction in an economic measure is a downturn. If a company makes less money than it did last year, for example, that's a downturn. You'll often find the word downturn in business or economic news, describing the country's entire economy, or the activity of a particular sector of the economy. If car sales decline, that's a downturn, and if fewer homes are sold, it's a downturn in the housing market. Ever since the mid-1920s, the word downturn has been commonly used by economists and business reporters.
Vocabulary lists containing downturn
"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 14
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Games of Deception
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"The Americans: Reconstruction to the 21st Century," Vocabulary from Chapter 14
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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.
Given the economic downturn the area suffered when the mines closed, it's easy to draw a parallel with clubs across the Channel which are also based in former industrial heartlands.
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
She gobbled up foreign assets during the 2008 downturn.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
Morgan Stanley isn’t worried about that potential downturn given the state of data-center spending.
From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026
It also deployed 39% fewer energy-storage products than expected, showing an unexpected downturn after two quarters of growth.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026
The prediction that the end of the war would send Hampton Roads into an economic downturn proved incorrect.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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.
