industrial revolution

American  

[in-duhs-tree-uhl rev-uh-loo-shuhn] / ɪnˈdʌs tri əl ˌrɛv əˈlu ʃən /

noun

1. none the industrial revolution or the Industrial Revolution the totality of the changes in economic and social organization that began about 1760 in England and later in other countries, characterized chiefly by the replacement of hand tools with power-driven machines, such as the power loom and the steam engine, and by the concentration of industry in large establishments.

2. any period of change to the economic and social organization of a country, region, etc., that is characterized by the replacement of hand tools with power-driven machines and the concentration of industry in large establishments.

---

Industrial Revolution British  

noun

1. the transformation in the 18th and 19th centuries of first Britain and then other W European countries and the US into industrial nations

---

Industrial Revolution Cultural  

1. The rapid industrial growth that began in England during the middle of the eighteenth century and then spread over the next 50 years to many other countries, including the United States. The revolution depended on devices such as the steam engine (see James Watt), which were invented at a rapidly increasing rate during the period. The Industrial Revolution brought on a rapid concentration of people in cities and changed the nature of work for many people. (See Luddites.)

---

Etymology

Origin of industrial revolution

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

Google CEO Sundar Pichai told an event in India last month that AI is “10ten times faster…in fact larger…than the industrial revolution. I think the investment makes sense given the progress in the technology we are seeing and the opportunities we see on top of it.”

From Barron's

Investment banking went on to underwrite construction of the railroad, the telephone, and an industrial revolution that turned America into an economic and military superpower.

From Barron's

Weavers and bank tellers feared for their livelihoods at the time, but the Industrial Revolution led to significantly more hiring in the textile sector, and banks increased employment after ATMs were introduced.

From The Wall Street Journal

The term “Great Divergence” originally referred to an economic gap that arose during the Industrial Revolution.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the scale of disruption today is predicted to be greater than anything that’s happened since the industrial revolution.

From Los Angeles Times