Definition of slump in English:

slump

verb

[no object]

1with adverbial Sit, lean, or fall heavily and limply.
‘she slumped against the cushions’
be slumped ‘Denis was slumped in his seat’
- ‘Kait sighed and slumped her shoulders, leaning her forehead against the door frame.’
- ‘He slumped heavily into his armchair and busied himself with his smoking accoutrements.’
- ‘As his shoulders slumped again, David leaned forward and took his face in his hands.’
- ‘Go for an armchair that allows you to sit with your spine upright and feet on the floor, rather than slumping into deep cushions.’
- ‘She instantly collapsed on the bench and slumped over to lean on Kita for support.’
- ‘‘It's done,’ she pronounced, slumping heavily into an overstuffed armchair and peeling off her disposable latex gloves.’
- ‘Jack came back upstairs moments after Sean and sighed heavily, slumping against the door, then quickly retreating to the safety of his office.’
- ‘I leaned back, slumping in my chair again, Blake sighing at my side.’
- ‘Not even bothering to take off his leather jacket or boots, he slumped heavily onto the futon to his right.’
- ‘Puzzled, Preter hesitantly did as he was told and slumped limply to the ground.’
- ‘He slumped heavily into the bed next to me, and I pulled the comforter over him and inched closer.’
- ‘I slumped and leaned against the trailer before my knees could give way underneath me.’
- ‘He slowly relaxed and slumped back to lean against the bath as his body adjusted.’
- ‘The little girl slumped limply out of his arms and fell fast asleep, her arms wrapped around her baby brother.’
- ‘She slid dejectedly into her seat, slumping a little and propping her head up on her desktop, her fingers halfway into her hair, and closed her eyes for a moment.’
- ‘A girl three rows ahead of them was slumped into her seat, practically snoring.’
- ‘Most kids would be slumped in their seats, glaring at me for presuming to be the Dean, and smacking on gum.’
- ‘Eric was already slumped in his seat as the Principal began his overly enthusiastic speech.’
- ‘It was dark out and most of the passengers were slumped down in their seats.’
- ‘Tatiana was slumped back in her seat, her arms crossed, and a frown on her face.’
sit heavily, flop, flump, collapse, sink, fall, subside
View synonyms
2Undergo a sudden severe or prolonged fall in price, value, or amount.
‘land prices slumped’
- ‘When growth slowed, and share prices slumped, they were unable to raise money for further expansion.’
- ‘The idea was to build up a substantial European mining company but copper prices slumped in 1997.’
- ‘As commodities such as coffee or soya flooded into the world market, prices slumped, causing more economic chaos.’
- ‘This was the first, and largest, of three price slumps that the accident-prone discount retailer had this year.’
- ‘Shortly afterwards wool prices slumped, and British depositors began to withdraw funds from the colonial banks.’
- ‘It wouldn't, however, protect you from the negative equity trap if you were forced to move and house prices had slumped.’
- ‘This basically means selling loads of shares before the attacks and then buying them back once the share price had slumped.’
- ‘People who bought homes in these places now find prices have slumped, leaving them trapped and unable to move to find work.’
- ‘This meant directors and management, who took gambles that endangered the future of businesses or caused share prices to slump, could be held liable for the damage done.’
- ‘The milk price had slumped from £1.75 a kilogramme of milk solids to £1 a kilogramme.’
- ‘When the task force was putting together its original report, the world price of oil had slumped as low as $10 a barrel.’
- ‘It also lost heavily after buying forward power contracts at the same high prices which later slumped.’
- ‘Whether international prices slump or go on a meteoritic rise they remain unruffled, as their lifestyle is already being protected by state subsidies.’
- ‘Some experts are warning that prices could slump by up to 30%.’
- ‘A York estate agent today hit back at reports that house prices are set to slump in villages around York.’
- ‘That could, in turn, cause prices of oil to slump to the detriment of the Saudi economy and its ability to provide cheap public services.’
- ‘As uncertainty over plans, as yet undisclosed, causes house prices to stagnate or slump, the council could conveniently then offer rock-bottom compensation.’
- ‘Banks in Europe and the US are reporting lower earnings as slumping stock prices reduce income.’
- ‘But since the merger, the firm's share price has slumped by nearly two thirds.’
- ‘The firm has suffered in recent years as share prices slumped putting off investors and denting demand for pensions and insurance.’
fall steeply, plummet, plunge, tumble, drop, go down, slide, decline, decrease
View synonyms
1. 2.1Fail or decline substantially.
  ‘United slumped to another one–nil defeat’
  ‘However, he slumped to a 75, Westwood shot 65 and beat his friend by three clear strokes.’
  ‘However, Saunders' side slumped to a 2-1 defeat in a match that proved just how fickle they were.’
  ‘Three of the top four in the A Section must be cursing their luck, as they slumped to defeats against opposition from the wrong half of the table.’
  ‘They slumped to their fifth defeat in six League games, 2-1 at home to Queens Park Rangers.’
  ‘On eight of those occasions, the giant-killers slumped to at least one loss in the following fortnight.’
  ‘Despite a good start to the season, they have slumped to eighteenth in the division with McAllister fully aware he has no money to spend.’
  ‘Teddington slumped to a 151 run defeat in one of their poorest performances of the season against Ealing on Saturday.’
  ‘Indeed, by the end of last year, a season in which he slumped to a dismal 133rd on the money list, he had lost his right to even play in Europe.’
  ‘It was scrapped at Prestwick in 1993, when passenger numbers slumped to 50,000.’
  ‘Kent slumped to 70 for five and forgot about attempting to win; their objective was simply to avoid defeat.’
  ‘London, once one of the top two, has slumped to No 27 with a paltry 7.7m souls.’
  ‘It is reported that conservative bosses have launched a probe after the Conservative candidate slumped to third place.’
  ‘He snapped up six wickets as the capital team, fresh from a surprise win against Greenock, slumped to 103 all out.’
  ‘India slumped to seven wickets for 80, and Australia was clearly going to win the match in a canter.’
  ‘France have slumped to their lowest position since winning the World Cup in 1998.’
  ‘China slumped to three successive first-round defeats without scoring a goal.’
  ‘However, it was no more than token resistance as Grange slumped to defeat by 49 runs, their second reverse in a row.’
  ‘Selby Town slumped to their first home defeat since October following a dismal display against Denaby United.’
  ‘From being one of the top performers in 2001 the town has slumped to bottom of a council transport performance list.’
  ‘It left Thompson struggling to put his finger on why his Liverpool side have slumped to just one victory in their last six games.’
  decline, deteriorate, degenerate, worsen, get worse, slip, lapse
  View synonyms

noun

1A sudden severe or prolonged fall in the price, value, or amount of something.
‘a slump in profits’
- ‘Niedermeier attributed the slump to the price falls in most local shares.’
- ‘These have been compounded by the huge slump in share price values that most analysts predict will not be recovered.’
- ‘Also, a slump in property prices could mean your retirement taking a big hit, or being forced to wait until the housing market recovers.’
- ‘Hong Kong has been trying to fight deflation for four consecutive years, but a slump in property prices there started even before that.’
- ‘A slump in equity prices cuts their profits; even worse it erodes their solvency ratios.’
- ‘The oil price slump in 1985 created severe adjustment problems.’
- ‘Unlike some previous recessions, the current US slowdown seems to have been caused not by reluctant consumers, but by a sudden slump in company spending.’
- ‘Landlords in central London, many of whom are Irish, are experiencing a difficult time as residential rents continue to fall due to a slump in corporate lettings.’
- ‘The personal wealth of some of Ireland's most high profile technology executives has been decimated by the continuing slump in technology share prices.’
- ‘Mr Greenspan added that a recent wave of accounting scandals that has swept through corporate America, triggering a slump in global share prices, is nearly over.’
- ‘They will also go down badly with some City investors, who would like Allen to resign after a slump in the share price from 148p to 104p.’
- ‘The dramatic slump in the share value is all the more galling for investors, who had come to rely on the defensive food sector in times of economic uncertainty.’
- ‘In the wake of this fact comes the third and most obvious consensus point namely that the markets are being driven down by the slump in tech stock prices.’
- ‘Industry sources said that the slump in value reflected the pain being felt by companies across the private equity industry.’
- ‘The slump in prices was largely attributed to inferior quality tea being produced by various India gardens.’
- ‘If that proves to be the case, Burgundy, which has seen a slump in prices, could breathe a sigh of relief.’
- ‘There is talk of a massive fall in profits and a slump in turnover - talk that some outposts of the empire were simply not performing well enough to survive.’
- ‘Blaming the drop on a surge in producer prices and a slump in fixed investment last year, analysts predicted that growth would continue to slow in 2005.’
- ‘After the slump in profits since mid 2000, my daughter could have told me that.’
- ‘The plan has been severely criticized by many members of the public for interfering with the property market and causing a slump in apartment prices.’
steep fall, plunge, drop, collapse, tumble, plummet, downturn, downswing, slide, decline, falling off, decrease, lowering, devaluation, depreciation
View synonyms
1. 1.1A prolonged period of abnormally low economic activity, typically bringing widespread unemployment.
  ‘he had survived two world wars and a slump’
  mass noun ‘periods of slump’
  ‘The world was mired in economic slump, which brought with it mass unemployment and wage cuts.’
  ‘The domestic economy is in a slump, and unemployment in Hualien is particularly serious.’
  ‘Two things did more than anything to usher in a new upturn in struggle - the black nationalist message of Marcus Garvey and the economic slump of the Great Depression.’
  ‘The inability of the political establishment to find a coherent response to the economic slump of the Great Depression furthered the growth of the right wing.’
  ‘With the economy pulling out of a shallow slump, pre-election unemployment topped out at a mere 5.7%.’
  ‘What we were trying to do was bring forward investment to pull the economy out of its slump.’
  ‘After the Wall Street crash, which led to a worldwide slump in economic growth, the world reverted to protectionism.’
  ‘Orchestras around the country are facing drastic budget crises, worsened by the economic slump and the consequent downturn in attendance as well as in corporate support.’
  ‘This was followed by a slump in investment, widespread bankruptcies and over a million Americans losing their jobs.’
  ‘The government also advised that it expects a shortfall in tax revenues, because of the economic slump, and that it was stepping up its programme of building shelters for the unemployed and homeless.’
  ‘The only segment in which Gleeson does expect a rebound is in the financial sector, where she is expecting a raft of merger and acquisition activity to follow the slump.’
  ‘How can the regulations be changed while the country remains unstable, with a continuing economic slump and resultant widespread economic hardship?’
  ‘Unfortunately, this budget balancing threatens to worsen the economic slump.’
  ‘The story inevitably starts with the economic slump of the early 1930s.’
  ‘Last year, you were among the first national politicians to talk about the economic slump.’
  ‘Chen was elected with just a plurality in a three-man race in 2000 and has since presided over an economic slump.’
  ‘People always tend to be more cautious during an economic slump.’
  ‘As always in an economic slump, cash is once again king, and companies are going all out to make sure they have enough of it.’
  ‘In an economic slump, business costs that were once low priority take on new importance for the bottom line.’
  ‘But although the news was welcomed by those who had feared an economic slump, US shares opened slightly lower.’
  recession, economic decline, depression, slowdown, trough, credit crunch
  View synonyms
2. 1.2A period of substantial failure or decline.
  ‘Arsenal's recent slump’
  ‘The station has seen a recent slump in numbers due to people leaving through retirement or ill health.’
  ‘Hundreds of thousands of tourists flock to the area each year and despite the recent slump in tourism local hoteliers are reaping the benefits of Sundberg's visit.’
  ‘The grouse population has traditionally been prone to yearly fluctuations, but global warming is being blamed in some quarters for a sustained slump in numbers.’
  ‘It has to be said, before we consider the paper's own circulation since her arrival, that the whole market has been hit by a slump in the past year.’
  ‘Population growth and concentration made cyclical slumps and harvest failures increasingly difficult to mediate or relieve.’
  ‘High-tech manufacturers showed some of the sharpest declines, reflecting a slump in telecommunications and the dot-coms.’
  ‘American players may well have witnessed some amount of stock market volatility, but despite the recent share slumps, 2000's corporate performance was impressive.’
  ‘Eddy added that the decision not to raise excise rates was to enable the cigarette companies to restructure, following the recent slump in cigarette sales.’
  ‘Jack McKeon's team can blame its failure to return to the postseason on a long slump beginning Memorial Day.’
  ‘At least Boro have no injuries to worry about, save for the damage to morale caused by their recent slump.’
  ‘Weekend occupancy rates at hotels, guesthouses and bed and breakfast establishments are high and many say they have yet to experience a slump after the summer holiday season.’
  ‘The number of visitors to libraries has halved since 1984 and could further slump to a terminal decline in the next 20 years, a charity has warned.’
  ‘After a heartbreaking summer which reached the highest number of road deaths in recent years, August and September witnessed a slump on comparative years.’
  ‘Whereas the U.S. textile industry has shown noticeable recoveries from slumps in previous years, it is not showing signs of recovery in its most recent cycle.’
  ‘As the companies that make PCs try to recover from their worst slump in years, you'll find incredible deals on new systems during the holiday shopping season.’
  ‘The army has responded to the recruiting slump by increasing the number of recruiters and offering bigger sign-up bonuses.’
  ‘I'm not certain the slowdown in capital spending will last - the data show a similar slump in the first quarter of each of the past three years.’
  ‘The rise represented a significant recovery following a slump of 2.7% in the previous year.’
  ‘But there was in fact a slump for some years which lasted quite a while.’
  ‘The government pledged not to raise excise rates on cigarettes this year to allow the industry to recover from a slump.’