business cycle
noun
: a cycle of economic activity usually consisting of recession, recovery, growth, and decline
Examples of business cycle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Even as narratives about the U.S. economy among top experts have waffled between jubilant relief and stubborn concern that the best of this business cycle was finished, in the aggregate the labor market has consistently been vibrant since 2022; almost uneventfully so.
—
Talmon Joseph Smith, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
In reality, there's a limit to what the White House can do to change things quickly, with the economy's performance tied to broad global and domestic business cycles beyond the president's control.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2024
Something that has been unique to this business cycle is the amount of fiscal policy that is in play — that has kept household balance sheets and business sector balance sheets intact.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 26 Feb. 2024
The utility of regional identities, clan links, and religious ties varied with fluctuations not only of state policy but also of global business cycles.
—Khalid Mustafa Medani, Foreign Affairs, 1 Nov. 2022
The Chinese and the international streaming industries have little overlap, yet have undergone similar business cycles, notably a post-COVID focus on profitability, not growth.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 10 Dec. 2023
The standard was those who consistently outperformed over long periods, through business cycles and during times of both strength and weakness in their respective industries.
—John Rau, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
The overall Consumer Price Index for October dropped to 3.2 percent annually from 3.7 percent the previous month — and from a peak, in this business cycle, of 9.1 percent in June 2022.
—Jeff Sommer, New York Times, 17 Nov. 2023
Economic activity is set to weaken in the U.S., leading to a likely shallow recession next year, according to an economic index that measures business cycles.
—Joshua Kirby, WSJ, 19 Oct. 2023
Talmon Joseph Smith, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
In reality, there's a limit to what the White House can do to change things quickly, with the economy's performance tied to broad global and domestic business cycles beyond the president's control.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2024
Something that has been unique to this business cycle is the amount of fiscal policy that is in play — that has kept household balance sheets and business sector balance sheets intact.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 26 Feb. 2024
The utility of regional identities, clan links, and religious ties varied with fluctuations not only of state policy but also of global business cycles.
—Khalid Mustafa Medani, Foreign Affairs, 1 Nov. 2022
The Chinese and the international streaming industries have little overlap, yet have undergone similar business cycles, notably a post-COVID focus on profitability, not growth.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 10 Dec. 2023
The standard was those who consistently outperformed over long periods, through business cycles and during times of both strength and weakness in their respective industries.
—John Rau, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
The overall Consumer Price Index for October dropped to 3.2 percent annually from 3.7 percent the previous month — and from a peak, in this business cycle, of 9.1 percent in June 2022.
—Jeff Sommer, New York Times, 17 Nov. 2023
Economic activity is set to weaken in the U.S., leading to a likely shallow recession next year, according to an economic index that measures business cycles.
—Joshua Kirby, WSJ, 19 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'business cycle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1858, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near business cycle
Cite this Entry
“Business cycle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/business%20cycle. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
More from Merriam-Webster on business cycle
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about business cycle
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share