slump

1 of 2

verb

ˈsləmp 

slumped; slumping; slumps

intransitive verb

1

a

: to fall or sink suddenly

b

: to drop or slide down suddenly : collapse

2

: to assume a drooping posture or carriage : slouch

3

: to go into a slump

sales slumped

slump

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: a marked or sustained decline especially in economic activity or prices

b

: a period of poor or losing play by a team or individual

2

: a downward slide of a mass of rock or land

Synonyms

Noun

• depression
• recession

Examples of slump in a Sentence

Verb

She fainted and slumped to the floor.

Exhausted, he slumped down into the chair.

His shoulders slumped forward in disappointment.

Real estate prices slumped during the recession.

Noun

The economy's been in a slump since last year.

They've been in a slump ever since they traded their best player.

He's in a batting slump.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Then kind of what happened last year the first half of the year, kind of slumping, falling down, and getting back up. —Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 18 June 2025

In the past four seasons, though, that figure has slumped to €171.5m out of €930.9m — 18 per cent. —Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 15 June 2025

Noun

That slump has intensified competition among producers, posing a challenge for the industry, as well as for local governments, which have promoting mineral development as a way of boosting the Southeast Asia’s largest economy. —Alfred Cang, Fortune, 19 June 2025

Baseballs’ best hitter is now in a 2-for-20, 13-strikeout slump. —Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 18 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

probably imitative

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1677, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1887, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for slump

• bump
• chump
• clump
• crump
• dump
• gump
• hump
• jump
• lump
• plump
• pump
• rump

Kids Definition

slump

1 of 2 verb

ˈsləmp 

1

: to drop or slide down suddenly : collapse

2

: to assume a stooped posture : slouch

3

: to fall off sharply

slump

2 of 2 noun

: a marked or continued reduction especially in economic activity or prices