industrial revolution

noun

: a rapid major change in an economy (as in England in the late 18th century) marked by the general introduction of power-driven machinery or by an important change in the prevailing types and methods of use of such machines

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

World Economic Forum chairman Klaus Schwab warns about humans losing control of the world during the fourth industrial revolution. —Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 17 Feb. 2023

Scientists have come up with new evidence in support of the controversial idea that humanity's influence on climate began not during the industrial revolution, but thousands of years ago. —Keith Kloor, Discover Magazine, 16 Apr. 2011

And this global cooperation, as Schwab calls it, remains imperative to give humans a chance during the fourth industrial revolution without losing control of society ... or else. —Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 17 Feb. 2023

The early stages of the industrial revolution showed the vulnerability of the American worker. —Tom Spiggle, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2021

In fact, the metaverse might be the bridge to the 5th industrial revolution, whereby humans and technology interlace in harmony. —Rod Berger, Forbes, 6 Feb. 2023

Between the mid-1800s and mid-1900s, when the industrial revolution made Britain the most powerful nation in the world, Morecambe’s guest houses were bursting with vacationers. —Alexander Smith, NBC News, 9 Dec. 2022

But the number of species that have disappeared since the beginning of the industrial revolution has caused a crisis that some refer to as the sixth mass extinction event. —Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 21 July 2022

But as the population has increased, particularly since the industrial revolution, the demand for nitrogen fertilizers has exploded. —The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 14 Apr. 2022

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Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

industrial revolution

noun

: a rapid major change in an economy (as in England in the late 18th century) marked by the general introduction of power-driven machinery