/slump/ , v.i.
1. to drop or fall heavily; collapse: Suddenly she slumped to the floor.
2. to assume a slouching, bowed, or bent position or posture: Stand up straight and don't slump!
3. to decrease or fall suddenly and markedly, as prices or the market.
4. to decline or deteriorate, as health, business, quality, or efficiency.
5. to sink into a bog, muddy place, etc., or through ice or snow.
6. to sink heavily, as the spirits.
n.
7. an act or instance of slumping.
8. a decrease, decline, or deterioration.
9. a period of decline or deterioration.
10. any mild recession in the economy as a whole or in a particular industry.
11. a period during which a person performs slowly, inefficiently, or ineffectively, esp. a period during which an athlete or team fails to play or score as well as usual.
12. a slouching, bowed, or bent position or posture, esp. of the shoulders.
13. a landslide or rockslide.
14. the vertical subsidence of freshly mixed concrete that is a measure of consistency and stiffness.
15. New England Cookery. a dessert made with cooked fruit, esp. apples or berries, topped with a thick layer of biscuit dough or crumbs.
[ 1670-80; orig., to sink into a bog or mud; perh. imit. (cf. PLUMP 2 ) ]
Syn. 8. lapse, reverse, setback.