BOOM


Meaning of BOOM in English

/ buːm; NAmE / noun , verb

■ noun

IN BUSINESS / ECONOMY

1.

boom (in sth) a sudden increase in trade and economic activity; a period of wealth and success :

a boom in car sales

Living standards improved rapidly during the post-war boom.

a boom year (for trade, exports, etc.)

a property / housing boom

a chaotic period of boom and bust

—compare slump

—see also baby boom

POPULAR PERIOD

2.

[ usually sing. ] a period when sth such as a sport or a type of music suddenly becomes very popular and successful :

The only way to satisfy the golf boom was to build more courses.

ON BOAT

3.

a long pole that the bottom of a sail is attached to and that you move to change the position of the sail

—picture at yacht

SOUND

4.

[ usually sing. ] a loud deep sound :

the distant boom of the guns

—see also sonic boom

IN RIVER / HARBOUR

5.

a floating barrier that is placed across a river or the entrance to a harbour to prevent ships or other objects from coming in or going out

FOR MICROPHONE

6.

a long pole that carries a microphone or other equipment

■ verb

MAKE LOUD SOUND

1.

[ v ] to make a loud deep sound :

Outside, thunder boomed and crashed.

2.

boom (out) to say sth in a loud deep voice :

[ v speech ]

'Get out of my sight!' he boomed.

[ v ]

A voice boomed out from the darkness.

He had a booming voice .

OF BUSINESS / ECONOMY

3.

[ v ] to have a period of rapid growth; to become bigger, more successful, etc. :

By the 1980s, the computer industry was booming.

Business is booming!

••

WORD ORIGIN

noun sense 4 and verb senses 1 to 2 late Middle English (as a verb): ultimately imitative; perhaps from Dutch bommen to hum, buzz.

noun senses 1 to 2 and verb sense 3 late 19th cent. (originally US): probably from boom a loud sound .

noun sense 3 and noun senses 5 to 6 mid 16th cent. (in the general sense beam, pole ): from Dutch , beam, tree, pole ; related to beam .

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.