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
Flack’s career took a commercial downturn after the difficult gestation of Feel Like Makin’ Love, but the album is uncompromising and inspired.
—
Al Shipley, SPIN, 8 May 2026
Doing so, the Assembly Democrat’s proposal argued, could better insulate the state during economic downturns.
—Andrew Graham
may 7, Sacbee.com, 7 May 2026
The late stage of the investment cycle refers to the highly speculative period in which amateur buyers bid up securities, quietly offloaded by institutional investors, that precedes a downturn.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 6 May 2026
As the biotech industry broadly experienced a post-pandemic downturn, sentiment turned specifically against cell and gene therapies.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for downturn
Al Shipley, SPIN, 8 May 2026
Doing so, the Assembly Democrat’s proposal argued, could better insulate the state during economic downturns.
—Andrew Graham
may 7, Sacbee.com, 7 May 2026
The late stage of the investment cycle refers to the highly speculative period in which amateur buyers bid up securities, quietly offloaded by institutional investors, that precedes a downturn.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 6 May 2026
As the biotech industry broadly experienced a post-pandemic downturn, sentiment turned specifically against cell and gene therapies.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for downturn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downturn
Noun
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And a chronic shortage of homes for sale nationally, due partly to years of below-average new home construction, has helped prop up home prices even in a multiyear sales slump.—
Alex Veiga,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
-
The hard-right Reform UK party was the main beneficiary of Labour’s slump.—
Isa Soares,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
Noun
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That worsens overcapacity and deflation, while preventing that capital from going to healthier borrowers.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
11 May 2026
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Officials said the chaotic incident quickly triggered a multi-agency pursuit, prompting officers to deploy tire-deflation devices along a highway before the situation escalated into a brief foot chase outside of Denver.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Consumption has been linked to decreases in all-cause mortality.—
Christina Manian,
Health,
14 May 2026
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But drug harm reduction advocates and researchers say shifts in the drug supply and changes in drug use are the major contributors to the decrease in deaths.—
Ana Goñi-Lessan,
Miami Herald,
14 May 2026
Noun
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For example, certain psychiatric illnesses have been shown to cause atrophy, or shrinkage, of parts of the brain.—
Eric J. Nestler,
STAT,
28 Apr. 2026
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Air drying is best to prevent shrinkage, but combining it with a low-heat dryer cycle minimizes wrinkles.—
Olivia McIntosh,
Martha Stewart,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Everything hinges on exactly how good Pettersson can still be after a tumultuous falloff over the past two seasons.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
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With the apparel market forecast to grow 2-4 percent per year between 2023 and 2028—a steep falloff from the 7–14 percent seen during the post-Covid recovery—executives are homing in on more immediate budget squeezes.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Footwear News,
6 May 2026
Noun
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The productivity of Toyota Motor’s assets declined over the full period 2016–2025, with a minor downtrend in asset turnover, according to a May 5 report by Price Target Research.—
Justina Lee,
CNBC,
8 May 2026
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These experts also invariably forecast a sharp downtrend in the inflation curve once the conflict ends.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
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With the federal government’s attacks on public employees, collective bargaining remains one of the last bulwarks against further diminution of the role or benefits of public employees.—
Linh Tat,
Oc Register,
6 May 2026
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This is the diminution of American power, the erosion of American power, and Trump is doing it willfully, with no strategic idea in his head.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In a 2019 op-ed in The New York Times, Felix claimed that Nike offered her a 70 percent pay reduction during those negotiations.—
Tina Sturdevant,
New York Times,
10 May 2026
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Last month, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel announced the reduction of about 1,000 roles at the company, 16% of its staff.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Downturn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downturn. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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