boom
[verb]
Synonyms:
- bang, blast, crash, explode, resound, reverberate, roar, roll, rumble, thunder
- flourish, develop, expand, grow, increase, intensify, prosper, strengthen, swell, thrive
[noun]
Synonyms:
- bang, blast, burst, clap, crash, explosion, roar, rumble, thunder
- expansion, boost, development, growth, improvement, increase, jump, upsurge, upswing, upturn

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English Thesaurus: increase, go up, rise, grow, escalate, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. boom¹ S3 /buːm/ noun
[Sense 1-3: Date: 1400-1500; Origin: ⇒ boom²]
[Sense 4-6: Date: 1500-1600; Language: Dutch; Origin: 'tree, long piece of wood']

1. INCREASE IN BUSINESS [singular] a quick increase of business activity Antonym : slump:
The boom has created job opportunities.
boom in
a sudden boom in the housing market
consumer/investment/property etc boom
the post-war property boom
boom years/times
In boom times, airlines do well.
the economic boom of the 1950s
The economy went from boom to bust (=from increasing to decreasing) very quickly. ⇒ boom town

2. WHEN SOMETHING IS POPULAR [singular] an increase in how popular or successful something is, or in how often it happens:
the disco boom of the 1970s
boom in
the boom in youth soccer in the U.S. ⇒ baby boom

3. SOUND [countable] a deep loud sound that you can hear for several seconds after it begins, especially the sound of an explosion or a large gun ⇒ sonic boom

4. BOAT [countable] a long pole on a boat that is attached to the bottom of a sail, and that you move to change the position of the sail

5. LONG POLE [countable]
a) a long pole used as part of a piece of equipment that loads and unloads things
b) a long pole that has a camera or microphone on the end

6. ON A RIVER/HARBOUR [countable] something that is stretched across a river or a bay to prevent things floating down or across it

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. boom² verb
[Date: 1400-1500; Origin: From the sound]

1. [intransitive usually in progressive] if business, trade, or a particular area is booming, it is increasing and being very successful:
Business was booming, and money wasn’t a problem.
Tourism on the island has boomed.

2. (also boom out) [transitive] to say something in a loud deep voice:
‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ his voice boomed out.

3. (also boom out) [intransitive] to make a loud deep sound:
Guns boomed in the distance.
—booming adjective:
a booming economy

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

boom
noun
I. period of sudden increase
ADJ. great | post-war | consumer, credit, economic, investment, spending | building, housing, property | oil | baby
VERB + BOOM cause, create, fuel, lead to The boom was fuelled by accelerated demand for consumer products.
BOOM + NOUN period, time, year | town
PREP. during/in a/the ~ He was born during the post-war baby boom.
~ in a boom in house prices
PHRASES boom and bust/slump the ordinary business cycle of boom and bust

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

boom
II. deep hollow sound
ADJ. big | deep | distant | sonic (= the explosive sound made when an aircraft flies faster than the speed of sound) We heard the sonic boom of a jet overhead.
VERB + BOOM hear
BOOM + VERB echo The deep boom of a foghorn echoed across the bay.
PREP. with a ~

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

boom

an economic boom
the postwar economic boom
a property/housing boom (=a sudden increase in house prices)
People made a lot of money in the 1980s property boom.
a consumer/spending boom (=a sudden increase in the amount people spend)
Various factors caused the consumer boom.
a building/construction boom (=a sudden increase in building work)
There’s been a recent construction boom in the Gulf.
an investment boom
the investment boom of the past few years
cause/lead to a boom
Tax cuts sometimes lead to an economic boom.
trigger/spark a boom (=start it)
The lower interest rates triggered an economic boom.
fuel a boom (=add to it)
The energy crisis is fuelling a boom in alternative energy.
enjoy a boom
Since then, China has enjoyed a remarkable boom.
the boom years/times
the boom years of the late 1980s
go from boom to bust (=change from doing very well economically to doing very badly)
The Mexican economy went from boom to bust very quickly.
at the height of the boom
They sold their house at the height of the boom.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

increase to become larger in number, amount, or degree:
Sales increased by 25%.
The level of violence has increased.
go up to increase. Go up is less formal than increase, and is the usual verb to use in everyday English:
The price of coffee has gone up.
rise to increase. Rise sounds a little formal and is often used when talking about the level of something increasing:
The demand for oil has been rising steadily.
Living standards have risen dramatically.
grow to increase, especially gradually over a period of time – used about numbers or amounts:
Since 1990, US imports of foreign goods have grown at a rate of 7.7% per year.
The number of people working from home has grown substantially.
escalate to increase to a high level – used about things that you do not want to increase such as costs, crimes, or violence:
Fuel prices are escalating.
The fighting has escalated.
double/triple to become twice as much or three times as much:
Since 1950, the number of people dying from cancer has almost doubled.
The company’s profits tripled last quarter.
expand to become larger in size, or to include a wider range of activities:
The business has expanded at a rate of 15% per year.
We are hoping to expand into mobile phone services.
soar to increase and reach a very high level – used about numbers and amounts, or about feelings:
The temperature soared to 36.6 degrees centigrade.
His confidence soared.
The singer’s popularity has soared.
shoot up to increase very quickly and suddenly – used about prices, numbers, or temperatures:
Share prices shot up 30% over the last week.
put something up to increase prices, taxes etc. Put up something is less formal than increase, and is the usual verb to use in everyday English:
The landlord has put the rent up again.
They’re always putting up gas prices.
raise to increase something such as prices or taxes, or levels or standards:
The bank has raised interest rates for the third time this year.
The school aims to raise students’ levels of achievement.
boost to increase sales, profits, production etc, especially when they have been lower than you want them to be:
Growing affluence has boosted sales.
Oil exports boosted the economy.
extend to increase something such as your power or influence, or the number of things you are involved in:
We are hoping to extend the range of services that we offer.
The company plans to extend its dominance of the world car market.
step up something to increase your efforts or activities, especially to change a situation:
Security has been stepped up following the bombing.
Local people have stepped up their campaign to prevent a prison being built in their neighbourhood.
heighten to increase a feeling or effect:
The attack has heightened concerns about racism in schools.
Hunger can heighten the effect that alcohol has on you.
maximize to increase something as much as possible:
Businesses try to maximize efficiency and cut costs.
To maximize the chances of a successful pregnancy, you should make sure that you eat well.
big/large
The company has announced a big increase in its profits for last year.
slight/small
Doctors have reported a slight increase in the number of deaths caused by the disease.
The temperature increase was quite small.
great (=big)
There has been a great increase in air traffic in the last twenty years.
huge/massive (=very big)
There was a huge increase in emigration after the war.
substantial/considerable formal (=quite big)
He negotiated a substantial increase in pay for the workers.
significant/marked (=definite and noticeable)
Over the last few years, there has been a marked increase in tourism to developing countries.
dramatic/sharp (=large and sudden)
What has led to this dramatic increase in prices?
rapid (=happening quickly)
Recently there has been a rapid increase in fish farming.
modest (=small)
The figures reveal a modest increase in the birth rate.
gradual (=happening slowly)
Her temperature chart showed a gradual increase over the preceding six hours.
steady (=happening slowly but continuously)
The university has benefited from a steady increase in student numbers.
a threefold/fourfold/fivefold etc increase (=an increase by three, four etc times)
The figures show a threefold increase in incidents of car theft.
a 10%/50% etc increase
A 5% increase in petrol prices is predicted.
an annual increase
The company reported a 10% increase in pre-tax profits.
lead to an increase
They argue that the abolition of the death penalty has led to an increase in the number of murders.
cause/bring about an increase
The heatwave brought about a massive increase in water consumption.
a price increase
We expect a price increase of 1.4% this year.
a fare increase
The airline instituted a 10% fare increase.
a wage/pay/salary increase
Canadian workers received a 5.4% wage increase.
a tax increase
The government had no choice but to impose a tax increase.
be on the increase (=be increasing)
Knife attacks are on the increase.
the rate of increase
The rate of increase in the number of violent crimes is much higher than under the previous government.
growth noun [singular, uncountable] an increase in the number, size, or importance of something. Growth is also used when saying that a company or a country’s economy becomes more successful:
The astonishing growth of the Internet has had a dramatic effect on people’s lives.
Japan experienced a period of rapid economic growth.
Many people are concerned about the enormous growth in the world’s population.
surge noun [countable usually singular] a sudden increase in something such as profits, demand, or interest:
There has been a big surge in demand for organically grown food.
We have seen a tremendous surge of interest in Chinese medicine.
gain noun [uncountable and countable] an increase in the amount or level of something - used especially in business or political contexts, or when talking about an increase in someone’s weight:
sales gains
The December job figures show a net gain of 81,000 jobs.
The party has experienced a gain in popularity.
The amount of weight gain during pregnancy varies.
hike noun [countable] informal especially American English a large or sudden increase in prices or taxes - often used in newspaper reports:
Despite a 25% hike in fuel costs, the airline made a profit last year.
tax hikes
wage hikes
explosion noun [countable] a sudden very large increase in the amount or number of something:
There has been an explosion in the number of fast food restaurants.
The country experienced a population explosion.
The book caused an explosion of interest in Renaissance Italy.
boom noun [singular] a sudden large increase in trade, profits or sales, with the result that a country, company, or industry becomes very successful. Boom is also used about a sudden increase in interest in something, with the result that it becomes very popular:
the German economic boom of the 1960s
the Internet boom
There has been a boom in sales of diet books and videos.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

squeak a very short high sound or cry:
I heard the squeak of his shoes on the tiled floor.
Annie gave a squeak of surprise.
creak a long high sound that something makes when someone opens it, walks on it, sits on it etc - used especially about a door, wooden floor, bed, or stairs:
the creak of floorboards
The door opened with a creak.
screech a loud, long, unpleasantly high sound - used especially about someone’s voice, or about brakes, tyres etc:
There was a screech of tyres followed by a bang.
She let out a screech of horror.
beep (also bleep British English) a high electronic sound that a machine sends out, especially in order to attract someone’s attention:
You’ll hear a bleep when the photocopier’s finished printing.
hum a quiet low continuous sound, especially from electrical equipment, traffic, an engine, or people’s conversation:
The only sound was the faint hum of the air-conditioning unit.
He could hear the hum of distant traffic.
rustle a continuous quiet sound from papers, leaves, or clothes when they rub together:
She heard the rustle of dried leaves behind her.
the rustle of silk dresses
murmur a quiet low continuous sound, especially from people’s voices that are far away:
The murmur of voices died away.
They spoke in a low murmur.
rumble a series of long low sounds, especially from big guns, traffic, or thunder:
I heard a rumble of thunder.
the low rumble of a train approaching
splash the sound that a liquid makes when something hits it, or when it hits against another thing:
She jumped into the pool with a big splash.
the splash of the waves against the rocks
gurgle the low sound that water makes when it flows gently over or through something:
the gurgle of a stream
She listened to the gurgle as the water drained out of the bath.
plop the sudden short sound when something is dropped into a liquid:
Kate dropped the ice into her glass with a plop.
hiss a continuous high sound when air or gas comes out of something:
There was a hiss of steam from the coffee machine.
Workers reported hearing a loud hiss moments before the explosion.
bang a short sudden loud noise made by a gun, bomb etc:
There was a loud bang as the bomb exploded.
The firework went off with a bang.
boom a very loud sound from an explosion, which you can hear for several seconds after it begins:
The building exploded into rubble with a loud boom.
The boom of artillery fire echoed in the distance.
roar a continuous very loud noise that gets louder and continues for a long time:
The light was followed by the deafening roar of explosions.
the roar of the ship’s guns
crash a very loud sound caused when something hits something else, especially when damage is caused:
The tray of dishes fell to the floor with a crash.
I heard an enormous crash outside our house, and I went to see what had happened.
thud a quiet low sound made when a heavy object falls down onto surface:
There was a dull thud as the box hit the floor.
His head hit the ground with a sickening thud.
thump a dull loud sound made when a heavy object hits something else:
There was a loud thump as Eddie threw Luther back against the wall.
clink a short ringing sound made when two glass, metal, or china objects hit each other:
the clink of champagne glasses
The clink of cutlery could be heard in the restaurant.
tinkle the pleasant sound that is made by light pieces of glass or metal hitting each other repeatedly:
He listened to the faint tinkle of cow bells in the distance.
jingle the sound of small metal objects being shaken together:
the jingle of her bracelets
the jingle of keys
rattle a short repeated sound made when things hit against each other - used especially when part of something is loose and is hitting against something:
There was a strange rattle coming from the engine.
the rattle of the trolley
appear a more formal word for ‘seem’:
These reports appear to be unfounded.
look to seem to be something, often because of what can be seen:
The future looks bleak.
He looked pleased.
sound used to say that something or someone seems to be something because of what you have heard or read about them, or because of the noise or voice that you hear:
This study sounds very ambitious.
They heard what sounded like a blow.
come across as something to seem to have particular qualities:
He comes across as a very sensitive man.
sound advice
He gave us some sound advice.
sound judgement
He was beginning to rely on her sound judgement.
a sound reason
Both these buyers have sound reasons for their choice.
a sound investment
Property is usually a sound investment.
a sound policy
The problems of industry will only be solved by sound economic policies.
a sound basis
Sometimes friendship is a sound basis for a good marriage.
environmentally/ecologically sound
The government encourages environmentally sound management of the countryside.
ideologically sound (=good, according to a set of beliefs)
It was the ideologically sound thing to do.
scientifically/technically sound
Are these studies scientifically sound?

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

boom
̈ɪbu:m
See: lower the boom

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲