as in slump
a situation in which something (such as business or economic activity) decreases or becomes worse
—usually singular
an economic downturn There's been a downturn in the housing market.
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Recent Examples of downturn
The market downturn put some stocks across the real estate, consumer staples, health care and technology sectors into oversold territory, positioning them for a potential rebound in the near term.
—
Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 4 Apr. 2026
The major downturns of the past, such as the crashes of 1929, 2000 and 2008, have been caused less by external events than by business and investment internals, such as threats to economic structure — over-leveraging in the first, the dot-com crash in the second and the housing crash in the third.
—Michael Hiltzik, Boston Herald, 3 Apr. 2026
Oil markets are closed for trading today as a result of the Easter holiday, but the rising crude oil price is likely to intensify fears of a market downturn, fuel shortages and food security issues.
—Max Burman, NBC news, 3 Apr. 2026
Each downturn tested how much of that enthusiasm was durable—and how much depended on the next buyer showing up.
—Doug Ashburn, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for downturn
Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 4 Apr. 2026
The major downturns of the past, such as the crashes of 1929, 2000 and 2008, have been caused less by external events than by business and investment internals, such as threats to economic structure — over-leveraging in the first, the dot-com crash in the second and the housing crash in the third.
—Michael Hiltzik, Boston Herald, 3 Apr. 2026
Oil markets are closed for trading today as a result of the Easter holiday, but the rising crude oil price is likely to intensify fears of a market downturn, fuel shortages and food security issues.
—Max Burman, NBC news, 3 Apr. 2026
Each downturn tested how much of that enthusiasm was durable—and how much depended on the next buyer showing up.
—Doug Ashburn, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for downturn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downturn
Noun
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Alex Bregman broke out of a 0-for-13 slump with three hits, and Javier Assad worked 5 2/3 shutout innings to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 9-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
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Its slump comes as investors continue to wring their hands over the possibility that AI tools like Claude Cowork might overtake Microsoft 365, which has been a major revenue driver for Microsoft.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Police then pursued the Infiniti driver north on Campbell Avenue and used a tire deflation device, Allard said.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
1 Apr. 2026
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The slowdown in headline inflation was largely driven by deepening energy deflation, following the resumption of generous electricity and gas subsidies, Surya said.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The 5% decrease in electric charges is set to go into effect in June, with no future adjustments to it planned.—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
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Even a relatively small decrease to $4 a gallon could take one or two weeks, according to gas price tracking service GasBuddy.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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All of the cumulative regions the wave passes through, with all of the growth and shrinkages that occur, imprint themselves onto the wave, as do the initial and final gravitational potentials.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
3 Apr. 2026
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Warm water can cause slight shrinkage in linen and cotton, but won’t generally affect synthetics.—
Caroline Lubinsky,
Martha Stewart,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The global emphasis also comes at a time when Hollywood’s local crews and soundstages are struggling from a historic falloff in local production as producers shoot more projects overseas in pursuit of tax credits.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
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The falloff and fatigue after 83 points is very real.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Profiled here are the various instances over the past near-40 years where Merck endured a significant multi-month or even multi-year pullback, stabilized, and ultimately broke through a major downtrend line — marked in red.—
Frank Cappelleri,
CNBC,
10 Apr. 2026
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These fears are not unfounded; the prolonged downtrend in global birth rates (or, rather, fertility rates—more on that later) could drive depopulation, fuel labor shortages, and create aging populations dependent on ever-shrinking generations of young workers.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In both films, the effect is of a diminution, a depersonalization—not to say, a desecration of the experience of horror that the documentary element embodies.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
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Several reasons account for this diminution.—
Jason Fogelson,
AJC.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The hotel has set waste and water reduction targets, including plastic and food waste prevention.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
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Pollution reduction, congestion reduction, improved safety, comfort, reliability.—
Jon Wertheim,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Downturn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downturn. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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