boom

1 of 3

verb

boomed; booming; booms

intransitive verb

1
: to make a deep hollow sound
2
a
: to increase in importance, popularity, or esteem
b
: to experience a sudden rapid growth and expansion usually with an increase in prices
business was booming
c
: to develop rapidly in population and importance
California boomed when gold was discovered there
d
: to increase greatly in size or number
the population boomed

transitive verb

1
: to cause to resound
often used with out
his voice booms out the lyrics
2
: to cause a rapid growth or increase of : boost
3
: to hit or kick forcefully
boom a punt

boom

2 of 3

noun (1)

1
: a booming sound or cry
often used interjectionally to indicate suddenness
then boom, he was fired
2
: a rapid expansion or increase: such as
a
: a general movement in support of a candidate for office
b
: rapid settlement and development of a town or district
c
: a rapid widespread expansion of economic activity
d
: an upsurge in activity, interest, or popularity
a folk music boom

boom

3 of 3

noun (2)

1
: a long spar used to extend the foot of a sail
2
a
: a chain or line of connected floating timbers extended across a river, lake, or harbor (as to obstruct passage or catch floating objects)
b
: a temporary floating barrier used to contain an oil spill
3
a
: a long beam projecting from the mast of a derrick to support or guide cargo
b
: a long more or less horizontal supporting arm or brace (as for holding a microphone)
4
: a spar or outrigger connecting the tail surfaces and the main supporting structure of an aircraft

Examples of boom in a Sentence

Verb the sound of the bass drum booming His voice boomed out across the congregation. She boomed commands from the stern of the ship. “What's going on here?” he boomed. Housing construction has boomed in the past year. Last year we almost had to close the store, but now business is booming.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
But at least one area is booming: Chinese start-ups looking to establish a presence in the West are spending billions of dollars for advertisements on services owned by some of Silicon Valley’s biggest technology companies. Mike Isaac, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Sydney Franklin Real estate in Greater Cincinnati is booming. The Enquirer, 7 Mar. 2024 But the economy is now booming—the stock market is setting records, inflation worries are abating. Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2024 The practice of pledging shares has boomed during the past decade as equity markets surged amid record-low interest rates. Ben Stupples, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024 Jim Gaffigan had just taken the stage to present Best Ensemble Cast when a man's voice started booming through the tent at the Santa Monica Pier. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 25 Feb. 2024 Brisbane was recognized as a top city to visit in Australia, due to the beaches, sunshine, and booming art scene. Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 23 Feb. 2024 With changes in communication, transportation and economics, the world itself is becoming smaller — as the world of baseball is booming. Chuck Murr, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024 The Palmetto State entered 2024 from a position of strength: Key industries are booming, and the stars are aligning for the Southeastern state to capitalize on long-term migration patterns. Tami Luhby, CNN, 24 Feb. 2024
Noun
This followed Kensington Palace asking social media firms for help in combating the boom in abuse, which included sexist and racist comments. Amarachi Orie, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 Financial assets in general have historically fared badly during inflation booms, while tangible assets like houses have held their value better. Lydia Depillis, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024 The oil and gas boom has helped New Mexico has become the nation’s second-biggest oil-producing state (despite having a population just over 2 million). Paul J. Gessing, National Review, 6 Mar. 2024 This type of behavior predates the AI boom, but with the rise of text-generation tools like ChatGPT, it’s become increasingly easy to churn out endless articles to game Google rankings. Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 5 Mar. 2024 In recent years, climate change has affected the blossom boom, bringing the peak earlier than usual. USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024 Over the last decade, the almond boom coincided with growing concerns about water in California. Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2024 While some observers point to the rise of firms like TSMC and Samsung that invested in foundries, or missed opportunities during the PC boom, Chiang thinks the reason for Japan’s decline is partly due to geopolitics. Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 2 Mar. 2024 In many ways homeownership provided the basis of China’s boom after Deng Xiaoping first opened the economy some 50 years ago. Milton Ezrati, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'boom.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English bomben, bummen, of imitative origin

Noun (2)

Dutch, tree, beam; akin to Old High German boum tree — more at beam

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (1)

circa 1500, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1627, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of boom was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near boom

Cite this Entry

“Boom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boom. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

boom

1 of 3 noun
1
: a long pole used especially to stretch the bottom of a sail
2
a
: a long beam sticking out from the mast of a derrick to support or guide something that is being lifted
b
: a long arm used to move a microphone
3
: a line of connected floating timbers (as across a river) to obstruct passage or catch floating objects

boom

2 of 3 verb
1
: to make a deep hollow rumbling sound
2
a
: to increase in importance or popularity
b
: to experience a boom (as in growth)

boom

3 of 3 noun
1
: a booming sound or cry
2
: a rapid increase in growth, popularity, or prosperity
especially : a rapid widespread expansion of business
Etymology

Noun

from Dutch boom "tree, wooden beam"

Verb

a word imitating the sound

More from Merriam-Webster on boom

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