slump
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to drop or fall heavily; collapse.
Suddenly she slumped to the floor.
-
to assume a slouching, bowed, or bent position or posture.
Stand up straight and don't slump!
-
to decrease or fall suddenly and markedly, as prices or the market.
-
to decline or deteriorate, as health, business, quality, or efficiency.
-
to sink into a bog, muddy place, etc., or through ice or snow.
-
to sink heavily, as the spirits.
noun
-
an act or instance of slumping.
-
a decrease, decline, or deterioration.
-
a period of decline or deterioration.
-
any mild recession in the economy as a whole or in a particular industry.
-
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.
-
a slouching, bowed, or bent position or posture, especially of the shoulders.
-
a landslide or rockslide.
-
the vertical subsidence of freshly mixed concrete that is a measure of consistency and stiffness.
-
New England Cooking. a dessert made with cooked fruit, especially apples or berries, topped with a thick layer of biscuit dough or crumbs.
verb
-
to sink or fall heavily and suddenly
-
to relax ungracefully
-
(of business activity, etc) to decline suddenly; collapse
-
(of health, interest, etc) to deteriorate or decline suddenly or markedly
-
(of soil or rock) to slip down a slope, esp a cliff, usually with a rotational movement
noun
-
a sudden or marked decline or failure, as in progress or achievement; collapse
-
a decline in commercial activity, prices, etc
-
economics another word for depression
-
the act of slumping
-
a slipping of earth or rock; landslide
noun
Other Word Forms
- unslumped adjective
- unslumping adjective
Etymology
Origin of slump
1670–80; originally, to sink into a bog or mud; perhaps imitative ( plump 2 )
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.
The private-equity industry’s fundraising slump continued in the first quarter amid turmoil in the private-credit and software markets and uncertainty over the war in Iran.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
The price of bitcoin and other tokens touched record highs this past fall, only to fall into a slump that has stretched into 2026.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
Markets shrugged off their March slump and kicked off April on a strong note, with all three major indexes extending their Tuesday gains into Wednesday.
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
Yet a seeming recovery in manufacturing after a prolonged slump faces fresh obstacles, the most notable being the conflict with Iran.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026
He tried to straighten his posture on his mount, but his belly soon tugged him back down to a slump.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
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.
