boom

/bum/

/bum/

Other forms: booming; boomed; booms

A boom is a very loud, deep sound that echoes. The distant boom of fireworks might spook your nervous dog.

Guns, thunder, drums, deep voices — all of these are capable of a pretty loud boom. When they make the sound, you can also say that they boom: "I saw the flash of lightning and got ready for the thunder to boom." Another kind of boom is a prosperous period, like an oil boom or an economic boom. The long pole that holds a microphone or the sail on a boat is yet another type of boom.

Definitions of boom

1. noun

   a deep prolonged loud noise
   synonyms: roar, roaring, thunder

   type of:

   noise

   sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
2. verb

   make a deep hollow sound
   “Her voice booms out the words of the song”

   synonyms: boom out

   type of:

   go, sound

   make a certain noise or sound
3. verb

   make a resonant sound, like artillery
   “His deep voice boomed through the hall”

   synonyms: din

   type of:

   go, sound

   make a certain noise or sound
4. verb

   be the case that thunder is being heard
   synonyms: thunder
5. verb

   hit hard
   synonyms: blast, nail, smash

   type of:

   hit

   deal a blow to, either with the hand or with an instrument
6. noun

   a sudden happening that brings good fortune (as a sudden opportunity to make money)
   “the demand for testing has created a boom for those unregulated laboratories where boxes of specimen jars are processed like an assembly line”

   synonyms: bonanza, bunce, godsend, gold rush, gravy, manna from heaven, windfall

   type of:

   happening, natural event, occurrence, occurrent

   an event that happens
7. noun

   a state of economic prosperity
   type of:

   prosperity

   an economic state of growth with rising profits and full employment
8. verb

   grow vigorously
   “business is booming”

   synonyms: expand, flourish, thrive

   types:

   revive

   be brought back to life, consciousness, or strength

   luxuriate

   thrive profusely or flourish extensively

   type of:

   grow

   become larger, greater, or bigger; expand or gain
9. noun

   any of various more-or-less horizontal spars or poles used to extend the foot of a sail or for handling cargo or in mooring
   type of:

   spar

   a stout rounded pole of wood or metal used to support rigging
10. noun

    a pole carrying an overhead microphone projected over a film or tv set
    synonyms: microphone boom

    type of:

    pole

    a long (usually round) rod of wood or metal or plastic