Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense booms, present participle booming, past tense, past participle boomed
1. countable noun [usually singular]
If there is a boom in the economy, there is an increase in economic activity, for example in the amount of things thatare being bought and sold.
An economic boom followed, especially in housing and construction.
The 1980s were indeed boom years.
...the cycle of boom and bust which has damaged us for 40 years.
2. countable noun [usually singular]
A boomin something is an increase in its amount, frequency, or success.
The boom in the sport's popularity has meant more calls for stricter safety regulations. [+ in]
Public transport has not been able to cope adequately with the travel boom.
3. verb
If the economy or a business is booming, the amount of things being bought or sold is increasing.
When the economy is booming, people buy new cars. [VERB]
Sales are booming. [VERB]
It has a booming tourist industry. [VERB-ing]
4. countable noun [usually singular]
On a boat, theboom is the long pole which is attached to the bottom of the sail and to the mast and which you move when you want to alter the direction in which you are sailing.
5. countable noun
A boom is a large floating barrier that is used for stopping oil that has spilled from spreading.
6. verb
When something such as someone's voice, a cannon, or a big drum booms, it makes a loud, deep sound that lasts for several seconds.
'Ladies,' boomed Helena, without a microphone, 'we all know why we're here tonight.' [VERB with quote]
Thunder boomed like battlefield cannons over Crooked Mountain. [VERB preposition/adverb]
[Also VERB]
Synonyms: bang, roll, crash, blast More Synonyms of boom
Boom out means the same as boom.
Music boomed out from loudspeakers. [VERBPARTICLE preposition/adverb]
A megaphone boomed out, 'This is the police.' [VERBPARTICLE with quote]
He turned his sightless eyes their way and boomed out a greeting. [VERBPARTICLE noun]
[Also VERBPARTICLE]
Boom is also a noun.
The stillness of night was broken by the boom of a cannon.
Synonyms: bang, report, shot, crash More Synonyms of boom
7. See also baby boom
Phrasal verbs:
See boom out
More Synonyms of boom
boom in British English1
(buːm)
verb
1.
to make a deep prolonged resonant sound, as of thunder or artillery fire
2.
to prosper or cause to prosper vigorously and rapidly
business boomed
noun
3.
a deep prolonged resonant sound
the boom of the sea
4.
the cry of certain animals, esp the bittern
5.
a period of high economic growth characterized by rising wages, profits, and prices, full employment, and high levels of investment, trade, and other economic activity
Compare depression (sense 5)
6.
any similar period of high activity
7.
the activity itself
a baby boom
Word origin
C15: perhaps from Dutch bommen, of imitative origin
boom in British English2
(buːm)
noun
1. nautical
a spar to which a sail is fastened to control its position relative to the wind
2.
a beam or spar pivoting at the foot of the mast of a derrick, controlling the distance from the mast at which a load is lifted or lowered
3.
a pole, usually extensible, carrying an overhead microphone and projected over a film or television set
4.
a.
a barrier across a waterway, usually consisting of a chain of connected floating logs, to confine free-floating logs, protect a harbour from attack, etc
b.
the area so barred off
Word origin
C16: from Dutch boom tree, beam
boom in American English1
(bum)
verb intransitive
1.
to make a deep, hollow, resonant sound
verb transitive
2.
to speak or indicate with such a sound
usually with out
the clock boomed out the hour
noun
3.
a booming sound, as of thunder, heavy guns, etc.
4.
the resonant cry of certain animals, as the bullfrog
Derived forms
boomer (ˈboomer)
noun
Word origin
ME bummen, to hum; like Du bommen, Ger bummen, orig. echoic
boom in American English2
(bum)
noun
1.
a spar extending from a mast to hold the bottom of a sail outstretched
2.
a long beam extending as from an upright to lift or carry something and guide it as needed
the boom of a derrick, a microphone boom
3.
a barrier of chains or poles to obstruct navigation
4. US, Lumbering
a.
a barrier across a river or around an area of water to prevent floating logs fromdispersing
b.
the area in which logs are thus confined
5. Aeronautics
a retractable metal tube for transferring fuel from a tanker to another plane in flight
verb transitive
6.
to stretch out (sails) as with a boom so as to take maximum advantage of a wind abaft the beam and hence make speed
verb intransitive US
7.
to go rapidly along; move with speed or vigor
usually with along
Idioms:
lower the boom
Word origin
Du, a tree, beam, pole; same word ult. as beam; (sense 2) from use of ship's boom for this purpose
boom in American English3
(bum)
verb intransitive
1.
to increase suddenly in size, importance, activity, etc.; undergo swift, vigorous growth; flourish
business boomed
verb transitive
2.
to promote vigorously; popularize
they boomed him for mayor
noun
3.
swift, vigorous growth or development
4.
a period of business prosperity, industrial expansion, etc.
5.
a sudden favorable turn in business or political prospects
adjective
6.
of, characteristic of, or resulting from a boom in business, etc.
Word origin
< ? boom2vi.; later assoc. with boom1
boom in Finance
(bum)
Word forms: (regular plural) booms
noun
(Finance: Economics)
A financial boom is an increase in economic activity with rapid growth and rising prices.
China's economic boom has produced a growing hunger for energy that only foreign supplies can satisfy.
Investment advisers are predicting a boom in oil stocks because an oil shortage is developing.
A financial boom is an increase in economic activity with rapid growth and rising prices.
boom-bust cycle, bust
COBUILD Collocations
boom
construction boom
economic boom
population boom
postwar boom
property boom
tourism boom
Examples of 'boom' in a sentence
boom
But there are not nearly enough in booming areas where new properties are most needed.
The Sun (2016)
The only sound is the boom of artillery and the only signs of life are bands of stray cats.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Employment has boomed and our growth is the best in the West.
The Sun (2016)
It used to be that advertisements sounded more booming than the programmes between them, causing viewers to reach for the remote.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
At some stage the long housing boom has to come to an end, given the expected pressure on consumer spending next year.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The number, and size, of international takeovers and mergers is also booming.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The overall electronic book business is booming.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
This means women are going to miss out on the boom areas of the future.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
This does not mean that a boom period will automatically be followed by a crash.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The way we form and end relationships has also fuelled the boom.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Some economists forecast a downturn in the foreign investment behind the recent economic boom.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Many people were warning of the lopsided shape of growth throughout his boom years.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
New consoles typically cause a frenzy of media coverage and a boom in business.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
It is now a boom area which has not yet reached its peak.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The housing boom gave people the potential to withdraw equity in properties that suddenly looked like gold mines.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
In summer, they make an astonishing booming sound that can be heard a mile away.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
BRITAIN'S budget hotel chains are booming - and taking on hundreds of apprentices this year.
The Sun (2013)
The percentage deficit matched records set in the 1980s boom.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The cause of this boom has been the Chinese economic miracle.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The dismantled keel, boom and mast were also loaded on the vehicle.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
It wasn't that long ago that the economy was booming.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
His headphones are around his neck, and his sound boom probes the air like an antenna.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
In other languages
boom
British English: boom NOUN
If there is a boom in the economy, there is an increase in the number of things that people are buying.
An economic boom followed, especially in housing and construction.
American English: boom
Brazilian Portuguese: crescimento rápido
Chinese: > 好景气经济
European Spanish: boom
French: boom
German: Boom
Italian: boom
Japanese: 好景気
Korean: 호황
European Portuguese: crescimento rápido
Latin American Spanish: boom
British English: boom VERB
If the economy or a business is booming, the amount of things being bought or sold is increasing.
By 1988 the economy was booming.
American English: boom
Brazilian Portuguese: disparar
Chinese: > 繁荣经济
European Spanish: experimentar un boom
French: prospérer
German: boomen
Italian: andare a gonfie vele
Japanese: 景気上昇する
Korean: 호황을 맞다
European Portuguese: disparar
Latin American Spanish: experimentar un boom
All related terms of 'boom'
baby boom
A baby boom is a period of time when a lot of babies are born in a particular place.
boom baby
a person born in the years of the baby boom
boom box
A boom box is a large portable machine for playing music , especially one that is played loudly in public by young people.
boom-bust
relating to a supposed cycle in which periods of prosperity and growth alternate with periods of recession
boom out
boom time
a period in which there is a surge of prosperity for a person, place, or industry
boom town
A boom town is a town which has rapidly become very rich and full of people, usually because industry or business has developed there.
jib boom
a spar forming an extension of the bowsprit
mini-boom
a brief period of strong economic growth
sonic boom
a loud explosive sound caused by the shock wave of an aircraft, etc, travelling at supersonic speed
boom operator
a person who operates a boom
economic boom
If there is a boom in the economy , there is an increase in economic activity, for example in the amount of things that are being bought and sold.
postwar boom
If there is a boom in the economy , there is an increase in economic activity, for example in the amount of things that are being bought and sold.
property boom
If there is a boom in the economy , there is an increase in economic activity, for example in the amount of things that are being bought and sold.
tourism boom
If there is a boom in the economy, there is an increase in economic activity, for example in the amount of things that are being bought and sold.
whisker boom
any of the stiff sensory hairs growing on the face of a cat , rat , or other mammal
wishbone boom
a boom on a sailboard having two arms that are joined at the mast and at the foot of the sail . The windsurfer holds onto it for support and to steer the sailboard
martingale boom
a short vertical strut between the bowsprit and a rope or cable ( martingale ) from the end of the jib boom to the stem or bows , used for maintaining tension and preventing upward movement of the jib boom
population boom
A boom in something is an increase in its amount, frequency , or success .
boom and bust
relating to a supposed cycle in which periods of prosperity and growth alternate with periods of recession
construction boom
If there is a boom in the economy , there is an increase in economic activity, for example in the amount of things that are being bought and sold.
lower the boom
to act suddenly and forcefully in dealing out punishment or criticism , in defeating, etc.
boom-bust cycle
A boom-bust cycle is a series of events in which a rapid increase in business activity in the economy is followed by a rapid decrease in business activity, and this process is repeated again and again.
boomtown
a town that has sprung up or expanded rapidly as a result of an economic boom
whisker
The whiskers of an animal such as a cat or a mouse are the long stiff hairs that grow near its mouth .
bada-bing
an expression used to suggest that something can be done with no difficulty or delay
Chinese translation of 'boom'
boom
(buːm)
n(c)
(= noise) 轰(轟)轰(轟)声(聲) (hōnghōngshēng)
(Econ) 繁荣(榮) (fánróng)
(in prices, popularity) 兴(興)盛 (xīngshèng)
vi
[guns, thunder] (also boom out) 发(發)出隆隆的响(響)声(聲) (fāchū lónglóng de xiǎngshēng)
[voice]发(發)出低沉有力的声(聲)音 (fāchū dīchén yǒulì de shēngyīn)
[sales, business, economy]繁荣(榮) (fánróng)
1 (noun)
Definition
a period of high economic growth
an economic boom
Synonyms
expansion
the rapid expansion of private health insurance
increase
a sharp increase in productivity
development
the development of the embryo
growth
the unchecked growth of the country's population
advance
They clocked up a worldwide sales advance of 27 per cent.
jump
an eleven per cent jump in profits
boost
The paper is enjoying a boost in circulation.
improvement
The system we've just introduced has been a great improvement.
spurt
upsurge
an upsurge in oil prices
upturn
There has been a modest upturn in most parts of the industry.
upswing
Opposites
decline
,
failure
,
crash
,
collapse
,
recession
,
depression
,
slump
,
bust (informal)
,
hard times
,
downturn
2 (noun)
Definition
a loud deep echoing sound
The stillness of the night was broken by the boom of a cannon.
Synonyms
bang
I heard four or five loud bangs.
report
There was a loud report as the fuel tanks exploded.
shot
Guards at the training base heard the shots.
crash
Two people in the flat recalled hearing a loud crash about 1.30am.
clash
blast
a shotgun blast
burst
a burst of fireworks
explosion
Three people were badly injured in a bomb explosion.
roar
the roar of traffic
thunder
the thunder of the sea on the rocks
rumble
clap
peal
great peals of thunder
detonation
a heavy detonation echoed round the housing estate
1 (verb)
Definition
to prosper vigorously and rapidly
Lipstick sales have boomed even more.
Synonyms
increase
The population continues to increase.
flourish
Business soon flourished.
grow
The economy continues to grow.
develop
Children develop at different rates.
succeed
the skills and qualities needed to succeed
expand
Water expands as it freezes.
strengthen
do well
swell
The human population swelled as migrants moved south.
thrive
Today his company continues to thrive.
intensify
They are intensifying their efforts to secure the release of the hostages.
prosper
The high street banks continue to prosper.
burgeon
the country's burgeoning software industry
spurt
Opposites
fall
,
fail
,
crash
,
slump
2 (verb)
Definition
to make a loud deep echoing sound
Thunder boomed like battlefield cannons over Crooked Mountain.
Synonyms
bang
The engine spat and banged.
roll
guns firing, drums rolling, cymbals clashing
crash
blast
echo
The rumble of thunder echoed through the valley.
drum
explode
roar
the roaring waters of Niagara Falls
thunder
the sound of fireworks thundering up above
rumble
Thunder rumbled over the Downs.
resound
The soldiers' boots resounded in the street.
reverberate
A woman's laughter reverberated in the courtyard.
peal
Additional synonyms
in the sense of advance
They clocked up a worldwide sales advance of 27 per cent.