English Reference
Noun

slowdown

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ˈsɫoʊˌdaʊn/ UK /slˈəʊdaʊn/ slow·down UK spelling slowdowns

n.a situation where something starts to move or happen more slowly than before. You often hear this word when talking about the economy or a computer.

n.a reduction in the speed or rate of activity, progress, or production. Often used in economic contexts to describe a period of reduced growth or in technical contexts regarding performance.


SIMPLE

The factory experienced a production slowdown last month.

CONTEXTUAL

Economists are worried that the recent slowdown in consumer spending might lead to a recession.

COMPLEX

The software update was designed to fix a significant system slowdown that occurred whenever multiple high-resolution video streams were processed simultaneously.

Usage

Commonly used with 'in' to specify the area of reduced activity, such as a 'slowdown in growth' or a 'slowdown in traffic'.

Separate figures showed retail sales grew 0.6%, a slowdown from a 1% rise in June despite summer holiday tourism spending.

The Guardian· 17 Aug 2026
This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated