ENGLISH
REFERENCE

boom

n. countable
C1 Advanced Oxford US //ˈbum// UK //bˈuːm// boom Archaic Slang

n. a period of time when a business or an economy grows very quickly and makes a lot of money. It can also mean a loud, deep sound like an explosion.

n. a period of rapid economic growth or sudden prosperity; alternatively, a deep, resonant sound. Both senses are common, though the economic sense is dominant in business contexts.


SIMPLE

The city is enjoying a sudden housing boom.

CONTEXTUAL

Investors flocked to the region during the tech boom of the late nineties, hoping to find the next big startup.

COMPLEX

While the economic boom brought unprecedented wealth to the urban centers, it also exacerbated the wealth gap between the rising middle class and the rural poor.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

Onomatopoeic, perhaps borrowed; compare German bummen, Dutch bommen (“to hum, buzz”). The sense "a period of economic growth" is generally taken to derive from the sense "a rapid expansion", although other origins have also been suggested.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Dutch boom (“tree; pole”). Doublet of beam.

Usage

Often used with 'in' to specify the sector, such as 'a boom in tourism' or 'a boom in sales'.

Idioms1 entry

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