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Added 9 October 2026

boom

/buːm/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about boom at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A deep prolonged loud noise.
A state of economic prosperity.
A sudden happening that brings good fortune (as a sudden opportunity to make money).
the demand for testing has created a boom for those unregulated laboratories where boxes of specimen jars are processed like an assembly line

verb

Make a resonant sound, like artillery.
His deep voice boomed through the hall
Hit hard.
He smashed a 3-run homer
Be the case that thunder is being heard.
Whenever it thunders, my dog crawls under the bed

Origin

Onomatopoeic, perhaps borrowed; compare German bummen, Dutch bommen (“to hum, buzz”). The sense "a period of economic growth" is generally taken to derive from the sense "a rapid expansion", although other origins have also been suggested.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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