slump

[sluhmp]

verb (used without object)

1. to drop or fall heavily; collapse.

   Suddenly she slumped to the floor.

2. to assume a slouching, bowed, or bent position or posture.

   Stand up straight and don't slump!

3. to decrease or fall suddenly and markedly, as prices or the market.

4. to decline or deteriorate, as health, business, quality, or efficiency.

5. to sink into a bog, muddy place, etc., or through ice or snow.

6. to sink heavily, as the spirits.

noun

1. an act or instance of slumping.

2. a decrease, decline, or deterioration.

   Synonyms: setback, reverse, lapse

3. a period of decline or deterioration.

4. any mild recession in the economy as a whole or in a particular industry.

5. a period during which a person performs slowly, inefficiently, or ineffectively, especially a period during which an athlete or team fails to play or score as well as usual.

6. a slouching, bowed, or bent position or posture, especially of the shoulders.

7. a landslide or rockslide.

8. the vertical subsidence of freshly mixed concrete that is a measure of consistency and stiffness.

9. New England Cooking.,  a dessert made with cooked fruit, especially apples or berries, topped with a thick layer of biscuit dough or crumbs.

slump

¹

/ slʌmp /

verb

1. to sink or fall heavily and suddenly

2. to relax ungracefully

3. (of business activity, etc) to decline suddenly; collapse

4. (of health, interest, etc) to deteriorate or decline suddenly or markedly

5. (of soil or rock) to slip down a slope, esp a cliff, usually with a rotational movement

noun

1. a sudden or marked decline or failure, as in progress or achievement; collapse

2. a decline in commercial activity, prices, etc

3. economics another word for depression

4. the act of slumping

5. a slipping of earth or rock; landslide

Slump

²

/ slʌmp /

noun

1. another name for the Depression

Other Word Forms

• unslumped adjective
• unslumping adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of slump¹

1670–80; originally, to sink into a bog or mud; perhaps imitative ( plump ² )

Word History and Origins

Origin of slump¹

C17: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Low German slump bog, Norwegian slumpa to fall

Example Sentences

There was also an unfamiliar mental strain, as the former MVP slumped like he never had before.

From Los Angeles Times

The water was followed by a trip to the kitchen, where, wrapped in the quilt, I slumped into a chair while she hastily prepared a bowl of vegetable soup.

From Los Angeles Times

The firm has overcome a post-Covid pandemic slump in trade and problems with international expansion to recently launch its first share buyback and raise its profit outlook for the full year.

From BBC

Cool dough holds its shape better, standing up to glaze and stacking without slumping.

From Salon

Normally, the factory produces nearly half a million garments each month, but this year output has slumped to about a third, as buyers hold back on long-term orders.

From BBC

Related Words

• collapse 
• deteriorate 
• droop 
• drop 
• fall 
• fall off 
• go down 
• hunch 
• plummet 
• plunge 
• sag 
• slide 
• slip 
• slouch 
• tumble