as in deflations
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 downturns
But governors and legislators would make new spending commitments during the spikes that would become liabilities during the downturns.
—
Dan Walters, Mercury News, 19 May 2026
Silver plays two roles — as a store of value and a raw material for industry — which can mean bigger gains when the economy is growing but sharper drops during downturns.
—Sharon Wu, USA Today, 14 May 2026
Still, the company had weathered other downturns, according to Davis.
—Amber Gaudet, Charlotte Observer, 14 May 2026
Lane and Milesi-Ferretti found that countries with pre-crisis external deficits furthest beyond what economic fundamentals could explain tended to suffer the deepest downturns afterward.
—James Broughel, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
Goodspeed is equally skeptical of the notion that governments can juice expansions to offset future downturns.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 May 2026
Advocates point to insufficient oversight and inadequate funding as systemic problems, while increased pet surrenders during economic downturns strain already overwhelmed rescues and shelters.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 9 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
Prior administration has proactively refunded taxpayers in past misfortune and calamity events, and/or major economic downturns.
—Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 4 May 2026
Dan Walters, Mercury News, 19 May 2026
Silver plays two roles — as a store of value and a raw material for industry — which can mean bigger gains when the economy is growing but sharper drops during downturns.
—Sharon Wu, USA Today, 14 May 2026
Still, the company had weathered other downturns, according to Davis.
—Amber Gaudet, Charlotte Observer, 14 May 2026
Lane and Milesi-Ferretti found that countries with pre-crisis external deficits furthest beyond what economic fundamentals could explain tended to suffer the deepest downturns afterward.
—James Broughel, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
Goodspeed is equally skeptical of the notion that governments can juice expansions to offset future downturns.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 May 2026
Advocates point to insufficient oversight and inadequate funding as systemic problems, while increased pet surrenders during economic downturns strain already overwhelmed rescues and shelters.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 9 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
Prior administration has proactively refunded taxpayers in past misfortune and calamity events, and/or major economic downturns.
—Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 4 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downturns
Noun
-
Sometimes, players just go through slumps.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
-
When managing a schedule of roughly 60 games, there isn’t time to be patient or let hitters work through slumps.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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
Noun
-
The National Alliance to End Homelessness reports that cities relying on arrests and sweeps do not see long-term decreases in unsheltered homelessness because people are simply displaced into new areas rather than housed.—
Shianne LeClaire,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 2026
-
Lurie also pointed to crime figures that showed improvements across the board, with decreases in robbery with a firearm (45%), motor vehicle thefts (44%), property crime (27%), homicides (20%) and shootings (16%).—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
Offseason price falloffs are common in all sports, and those at the top are often among the most impacted.—
Benjamin Burrows,
New York Times,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
All major bills passed, including a bailout for Hennepin County Medical Center, license tab reductions, a bonding bill and property tax relief.—
Esme Murphy,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
-
The Board of Trade, the ministry spokesperson said, would allow the two sides to discuss issues such as tariff reductions on specific products.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
With several senior players experiencing prolonged dips in form, Mason Greenwood has again been Marseille’s most effective performer, scoring 26 goals in 44 matches across all competitions and being named in the Ligue 1 team of the season.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
Locals also love a good sauna followed by refreshing dips in cool water, and welcome guests to try it out for themselves, too.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Similar deteriorations took place in Tuscany and in Naples.—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Even in losses, the Pistons recovered miss after miss against them.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
-
Despite a series of stinging gerrymandering losses, Democrats remain favored to take back the House.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Downturns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downturns. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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