boomed; booming; booms
1
: to make a deep hollow sound
2
a
: to increase in importance, popularity, or esteem
b
: to experience a sudden rapid growth and expansion usually with an increase in prices
business was booming
c
: to develop rapidly in population and importance
California boomed when gold was discovered there
d
: to increase greatly in size or number
the population boomed
1
: to cause to resound
—often used with out
his voice booms out the lyrics
2
: to cause a rapid growth or increase of : boost
3
: to hit or kick forcefully
boom a punt
1
: a booming sound or cry
—often used interjectionally to indicate suddenness
then boom, he was fired
2
: a rapid expansion or increase: such as
a
: a general movement in support of a candidate for office
b
: rapid settlement and development of a town or district
c
: a rapid widespread expansion of economic activity
d
: an upsurge in activity, interest, or popularity
a folk music boom
1
: a long spar used to extend the foot of a sail
2
a
: a chain or line of connected floating timbers extended across a river, lake, or harbor (as to obstruct passage or catch floating objects)
b
: a temporary floating barrier used to contain an oil spill
3
a
: a long beam projecting from the mast of a derrick to support or guide cargo
b
: a long more or less horizontal supporting arm or brace (as for holding a microphone)
4
: a spar or outrigger connecting the tail surfaces and the main supporting structure of an aircraft
Examples of boom in a Sentence
Verb
the sound of the bass drum booming
His voice boomed out across the congregation.
She boomed commands from the stern of the ship.
“What's going on here?” he boomed.
Housing construction has boomed in the past year.
Last year we almost had to close the store, but now business is booming.
Noun (1)
the nerve-jangling boom of a car backfiring
Recent Examples on the Web
Alan Ohnsman, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
A day after markets boomed on comments from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that Trump would seek to de-escalate the trade war with China, US markets gained again on Wednesday.
—Kevin Liptak, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2025
Michael Copley, NPR, 23 Apr. 2025
The company has benefitted from a boom in AI servers as a key supplier of high bandwidth memory, or HBM — a type of DRAM used in artificial intelligence servers — to clients such as the U.S. AI darling Nvidia.
—Dylan Butts, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for boom
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
And the company’s booming battery business, a Q1 bright spot, will suffer from Trump’s tariffs.
—Alan Ohnsman, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
A day after markets boomed on comments from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that Trump would seek to de-escalate the trade war with China, US markets gained again on Wednesday.
—Kevin Liptak, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2025
Noun
Many on the list, which was shared with NPR, were for environmental justice projects, including one grant that supported initiatives such as flood mitigation in southwest Virginia, a deep red part of the commonwealth where communities have been shaped by the coal industry's booms and busts.
—Michael Copley, NPR, 23 Apr. 2025
The company has benefitted from a boom in AI servers as a key supplier of high bandwidth memory, or HBM — a type of DRAM used in artificial intelligence servers — to clients such as the U.S. AI darling Nvidia.
—Dylan Butts, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for boom
Cite this Entry
“Boom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boom. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
boom
1 of 3 noun1
: a long pole used especially to stretch the bottom of a sail
2
a
: a long beam sticking out from the mast of a derrick to support or guide something that is being lifted
b
: a long arm used to move a microphone
3
: a line of connected floating timbers (as across a river) to obstruct passage or catch floating objects
boom
2 of 3 verb1
: to make a deep hollow rumbling sound
2
a
: to increase in importance or popularity
b
: to experience a boom (as in growth)
boom
3 of 3 noun1
: a booming sound or cry
2
: a rapid increase in growth, popularity, or prosperity
especially
: a rapid widespread expansion of business
Etymology
Noun
from Dutch boom "tree, wooden beam"
Verb
a word imitating the sound
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