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• industrial revolution
  industrial revolution

  noun

  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.
• Industrial Revolution
  Industrial Revolution

  noun

  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

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.

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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

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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.)

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Etymology

Origin of industrial revolution

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

industrial revolution Industrial Revolution

"We can watch the next industrial revolution happen elsewhere or we can decide that Europe will shape it," he said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

Those documents are bound to include historic benchmarks, which reflect the idea that AI should be understood as a history-defining industrial revolution.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

The future of China's workers is uncertain in the industrial revolution the world has been watching: gleaming solar grids, peak hours made noiseless by electric vehicles, machines that run faster than Usain Bolt.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

“From a macro perspective, the AI industrial revolution continues,” Thummel told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026

We not only take it for granted—we tend to talk about the biologic revolution as though expecting to make profits from it, rather like a version of last century’s industrial revolution.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

In another virtual address to the ministers, Google DeepMind chief Demis Hassabis said the achievement of human-level AI would unleash ten times the impact of the Industrial Revolution.

From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026

But the Industrial Revolution allowed for wider production, making dolls' houses cheaper and more accessible for families.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

They created fabulous wealth, financed the expansion of Spain’s empire, elevated its global standing, and helped trigger the Industrial Revolution.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Global average temperatures have already increased by about 1.1 to 1.4 °C since the Industrial Revolution.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

The room was caught between old and new, between stone colonnades and stainless steel floors, between the very latest in high tech and old curiosities from the Industrial Revolution.

From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz