Britannica Dictionary definition of BOOM
1
: a long pole attached to the bottom of a sailboat's sail
2
: a long pole used to hold a microphone in position from a distance
3
: a floating barrier used on a river, lake, or harbor to catch floating objects, to keep boats from entering, or to prevent an oil spill from spreading
Large booms were brought in to help contain the oil spill.
a long pole with a microphone on one end that is held above the actors so that it records their voices but cannot be seen by the people watching, used in television and movie-making
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Cinema - general words
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Poles, rods, shafts and sticks
boom
verb
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/buːm/ ukYour browser doesn't support HTML5 audio
/buːm/boom verb (MAKE A SOUND)
[ I or T ]
to make a very deep and loud hollow sound:
The cannons boomed (out) in the night.
He boomed (out) an order to the soldiers.
Sounds made by objects, movement or impact
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Sounds made by humans with their mouths
boom verb (GROW)
[ I ]
to increase or become successful and produce a lot of money very quickly:
often in continuous tenses The leisure industry is booming.
Making progress and advancing
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Related word
booming
(Definition of boom from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)boom | Intermediate English
boom
noun [ C ]
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/bum/boom noun [C] (PERIOD OF GROWTH)
social studies
a period of sudden economic growth:
Somehow farmers have survived the booms and busts of the past 50 years.
boom noun [C] (POLE)
a long, movable pole that holds the bottom edge of a sail and is attached to the mast of a boat
In television and movie making, a boom is a long, movable pole that has a microphone (= device that records sound) or camera on one end.
boom noun [C] (DEEP SOUND)
a deep, loud sound:
What you heard was the boom of a rocket.
boom
verb
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/bum/boom verb (MAKE A DEEP SOUND)
[ I/T ]
to make a deep, loud sound:
[ I ] A voice boomed through the microphone.
boom verb (GROW SUDDENLY)
[ I ]
to experience a period of sudden economic growth:
At that time, Alaska was booming.
(Definition of boom from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)boom | Business English
boom
noun [ C or U ]
ECONOMICS, FINANCEukYour browser doesn't support HTML5 audio
/buːm/ usYour browser doesn't support HTML5 audio
a period of increased economic activity and growth:
A decade of market-oriented reforms has touched off an economic boom.
The country as a whole will suffer the economic cost of the abrupt end of a decade-long boom.
fuel/create/cause a boom The country's radical tax system is helping fuel a boom that rivals Asia's tiger economies.
experience/enjoy/undergo a boom The construction industry experienced a boom in the years following the war.
boom in sth The boom in internet share prices has fuelled a huge growth in stock market values around the world.
property/housing/building boom During the housing boom, lenders issued loans in record amounts.
dotcom/internet/technology boom The dot.com boom generated $18 billion in stock options and capital gains taxes for the state.
stock market/investment/price boom
consumer/spending boom
See also
baby boom
Compare
bust noun
boom
verb [ I ]
ECONOMICS, FINANCEukYour browser doesn't support HTML5 audio
/buːm/ usYour browser doesn't support HTML5 audio
to experience an increase in economic activity, interest, or growth:
Small businesses have boomed, since the government passed a new law making it easier to set them up.
Business is booming, producing increased earnings.
With the economy booming, opportunities have never been better for entrepreneurs.
See also
boom and bust
(Definition of boom from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)Examples of boom
boom
American workers would finally get real pay raises, while business investment and the stock market boom.
From CNBC
Amid the explosion in ratings and revenue for sports on television, sports talk radio quietly is experiencing its own boom.
From Hollywood Reporter
This study looks at a miniature economy that has boomed regardless of the health of the global one: the exchange of stolen credit cards.
From Ars Technica
On the flip side, mobile traffic is booming.
From USA TODAY
He said commercial fishers are volunteering to lay booms, hoping to protect the marshes.
From NOLA.com
Many were skeptical that booms will be of much use protecting the state's complicated wetlands coastline.
From NOLA.com
One factor is the expectation that low prices for natural gas will continue because of the shale gas boom across the country.
From NPR
The boom also has increased demand for services and materials that support the hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," industry that extracts the oil from shale formations.
From Voice of America
It's led to a boom in the sale of the pumps, which can cost hundreds of dollars.
From NPR
And given that at least two big industries are booming: construction and banking, the jobs are available.
From International Business Times
So they're forming their own networking groups, and their companies are booming.
From San Francisco Chronicle
It was the uncertainty of life: one moment you're doing fine, and then -- boom -- everything changes.
From The New Yorker
The only difference is that this tech boom isn't for everyone.
From CBS News
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.