as in slump
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 downturn
Executing Roth conversions during a downturn reduces future tax burdens and limits the impact on provisional income.
—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2026
The key is acting before a downturn hits, not scrambling after the damage is done.
—Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2026
Even as bond yields climb, big tech earnings are still growing and AI spending shows little sign of slowing—creating upside risk for those investors positioned for a downturn.
—Edward Harrison, Bloomberg, 25 Mar. 2026
And it’s not expected to slow down anytime soon—the sector is resistant to AI jobs disruption and traditional economic downturns.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for downturn
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2026
The key is acting before a downturn hits, not scrambling after the damage is done.
—Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2026
Even as bond yields climb, big tech earnings are still growing and AI spending shows little sign of slowing—creating upside risk for those investors positioned for a downturn.
—Edward Harrison, Bloomberg, 25 Mar. 2026
And it’s not expected to slow down anytime soon—the sector is resistant to AI jobs disruption and traditional economic downturns.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for downturn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downturn
Noun
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His response to his slump showed that he is built for New York.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Starting off in a slump, especially a season that comes with such high expectations, is never easy.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The slowdown in headline inflation was largely driven by deepening energy deflation, following the resumption of generous electricity and gas subsidies, Surya said.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
23 Mar. 2026
-
China’s consumer-price growth accelerated to the quickest in over three years and factory deflation moderated again, after a rally in energy markets and as household spending boomed during a later-than-usual Lunar New Year holiday.—
Bloomberg News,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Unemployment insurance claims stood at 202,000 in the week ending March 28, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week, according to Labor Department data.—
Rachel Barber,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
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In addition to the decaying physical structure, Richards highlighted a decrease in correction officer staffing levels such that people inside do not feel safe.—
Steve Zeidman,
New York Daily News,
2 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
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Warm water can cause slight shrinkage in linen and cotton, but won’t generally affect synthetics.—
Caroline Lubinsky,
Martha Stewart,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The falloff and fatigue after 83 points is very real.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
13 Mar. 2026
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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
-
The stock spent most of the back half of last year in a downtrend, making lower highs and undercutting its 200-day.—
Josh Brown,Sean Russo,
CNBC,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Recent history suggests this could be the start of another downtrend if the Knicks don’t stop the bleeding quickly.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In both films, the effect is of a diminution, a depersonalization—not to say, a desecration of the experience of horror that the documentary element embodies.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Several reasons account for this diminution.—
Jason Fogelson,
AJC.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The hotel has set waste and water reduction targets, including plastic and food waste prevention.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
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Pollution reduction, congestion reduction, improved safety, comfort, reliability.—
Jon Wertheim,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Downturn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downturn. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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