downturn

/ˌdaʊnˈtʌrn/

/ˈdaʊntən/

Other forms: downturns

A dip or reduction in an economic measure is a downturn. If a company makes less money than it did last year, for example, that's a downturn.

You'll often find the word downturn in business or economic news, describing the country's entire economy, or the activity of a particular sector of the economy. If car sales decline, that's a downturn, and if fewer homes are sold, it's a downturn in the housing market. Ever since the mid-1920s, the word downturn has been commonly used by economists and business reporters.

Definitions of downturn

1. noun

   a worsening of business or economic activity
   “the market took a downturn”

   synonyms: downswing

   types:

   downspin

   a swift and dangerous downturn

   type of:

   worsening

   changing something with the result that it becomes worse