Adjacent Words

Boom definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BOOM, n. A long pole or spar, run out from various parts of a ship, or other vessel, for the purpose of extending the bottom of particular sails; as the jib-boom, studding-sail boom, main-boom, square-sail boom. etc.
1. A strong iron chain, fastened to spars, and extended across a river, or the mouth of a harbor, to prevent an enemy's ships from passing.
2. A pole set up as a mark to direct seamen how to keep the channel, in shallow water.
BOOM, v.i.
1. In marine language, to rush with violence, as a ship under a press of sail.
2. To swell; to roll and roar, as waves.
The hoarse waves booming to the ocean shore.
3. To cry as the bittern.
The Dutch use bom for the sound of an empty barrel, and bommen is to drum.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a deep prolonged loud noise [syn: boom, roar, roaring, thunder]
2: a state of economic prosperity
3: 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" [syn: boom, bonanza, gold rush, gravy, godsend, manna from heaven, windfall, bunce]
4: a pole carrying an overhead microphone projected over a film or tv set [syn: boom, microphone boom]
5: any of various more-or-less horizontal spars or poles used to extend the foot of a sail or for handling cargo or in mooring v
1: make a resonant sound, like artillery; "His deep voice boomed through the hall" [syn: boom, din]
2: hit hard; "He smashed a 3-run homer" [syn: smash, nail, boom, blast]
3: be the case that thunder is being heard; "Whenever it thunders, my dog crawls under the bed" [syn: thunder, boom]
4: make a deep hollow sound; "Her voice booms out the words of the song" [syn: boom, boom out]
5: grow vigorously; "The deer population in this town is thriving"; "business is booming" [syn: boom, thrive, flourish, expand]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb Etymology: Middle English bomben, bummen, of imitative origin Date: 15th century intransitive verb 1. to make a deep hollow sound 2. a. to increase in importance, popularity, or esteem b. to experience a sudden rapid growth and expansion usually with an increase in prices <business was booming> c. to develop rapidly in population and importance <California boomed when gold was discovered there> d. to increase greatly in size or number <the population boomed> transitive verb 1. to cause to resound — often used with out <his voice booms out the lyrics> 2. to cause a rapid growth or increase of ; boost 3. to hit or kick forcefully <boom a punt> II. noun Date: 15th century 1. a booming sound or cry — often used interjectionally to indicate suddenness <then boom, he was fired> 2. a rapid expansion or increase: as a. a general movement in support of a candidate for office b. rapid settlement and development of a town or district c. a rapid widespread expansion of economic activity d. an upsurge in activity, interest, or popularity <a folk music boom> III. noun Etymology: Dutch, tree, beam; akin to Old High German boum tree — more at beam Date: 1627 1. a long spar used to extend the foot of a sail 2. a. a chain or line of connected floating timbers extended across a river, lake, or harbor (as to obstruct passage or catch floating objects) b. a temporary floating barrier used to contain an oil spill 3. a. a long beam projecting from the mast of a derrick to support or guide cargo b. a long more or less horizontal supporting arm or brace (as for holding a microphone or for supporting an antenna) 4. a spar or outrigger connecting the tail surfaces and the main supporting structure of an aircraft

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. a deep resonant sound. --v.intr. make or speak with a boom. Etymology: imit. 2. n. & v. --n. a period of prosperity or sudden activity in commerce. --v.intr. (esp. of commercial ventures) be suddenly prosperous or successful. Phrases and idioms: boom town a town undergoing sudden growth due to a boom. Derivatives: boomlet n. Etymology: 19th-c. US word, perhaps f. BOOM(1) (cf. make things hum) 3. n. 1 Naut. a pivoted spar to which the foot of a sail is attached, allowing the angle of the sail to be changed. 2 a long pole over a film or television set, carrying microphones and other equipment. 3 a floating barrier across the mouth of a harbour or river. Etymology: Du., = BEAM n.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Boom Boom (b[=oo]m), n. [D. boom tree, pole, beam, bar. See Beam.] 1. (Naut.) A long pole or spar, run out for the purpose of extending the bottom of a particular sail; as, the jib boom, the studding-sail boom, etc. 2. (Mech.) A long spar or beam, projecting from the mast of a derrick, from the outer end of which the body to be lifted is suspended. 3. A pole with a conspicuous top, set up to mark the channel in a river or harbor. [Obs.] 4. (Mil. & Naval) A strong chain cable, or line of spars bound together, extended across a river or the mouth of a harbor, to obstruct navigation or passage. 5. (Lumbering) A line of connected floating timbers stretched across a river, or inclosing an area of water, to keep saw logs, etc., from floating away. Boom iron, one of the iron rings on the yards through which the studding-sail booms traverse. The booms, that space on the upper deck of a ship between the foremast and mainmast, where the boats, spare spars, etc., are stowed. --Totten.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Boom Boom (b[=oo]m), v. t. (Naut.) To extend, or push, with a boom or pole; as, to boom out a sail; to boom off a boat.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Boom Boom (b[=oo]m), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Boomed, p. pr. & vb. n. Booming.] [Of imitative origin; cf. OE. bommen to hum, D. bommen to drum, sound as an empty barrel, also W. bwmp a hollow sound; aderyn y bwmp, the bird of the hollow sound, i. e., the bittern. Cf. Bum, Bump, v. i., Bomb, v. i.] 1. To cry with a hollow note; to make a hollow sound, as the bittern, and some insects. At eve the beetle boometh Athwart the thicket lone. --Tennyson. 2. To make a hollow sound, as of waves or cannon. Alarm guns booming through the night air. --W. Irving. 3. To rush with violence and noise, as a ship under a press of sail, before a free wind. She comes booming down before it. --Totten. 4. To have a rapid growth in market value or in popular favor; to go on rushingly.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Boom Boom, n. 1. A hollow roar, as of waves or cannon; also, the hollow cry of the bittern; a booming. 2. A strong and extensive advance, with more or less noisy excitement; -- applied colloquially or humorously to market prices, the demand for stocks or commodities and to political chances of aspirants to office; as, a boom in the stock market; a boom in coffee. [Colloq. U. S.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Boom Boom, v. t. To cause to advance rapidly in price; as, to boom railroad or mining shares; to create a ``boom'' for; as to boom Mr. C. for senator. [Colloq. U. S.]

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(booms, booming, boomed) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. If there is a boom in the economy, there is an increase in economic activity, for example in the amount of things that are being bought and sold. An economic boom followed, especially in housing and construction... The 1980s were indeed boom years. ...the cycle of boom and bust which has damaged us for 40 years. ? slump N-COUNT: usu sing 2. A boom in something is an increase in its amount, frequency, or success. The boom in the sport's popularity has meant more calls for stricter safety regulations... Public transport has not been able to cope adequately with the travel boom. ? slump N-COUNT: usu sing, with supp, oft N in n 3. If the economy or a business is booming, the amount of things being bought or sold is increasing. By 1988 the economy was booming... It has a booming tourist industry. VERB: V, V-ing 4. On a boat, the boom is the long pole which is attached to the bottom of the sail and to the mast and which you move when you want to alter the direction in which you are sailing. N-COUNT: usu sing, the N 5. When something such as someone's voice, a cannon, or a big drum booms, it makes a loud, deep sound that lasts for several seconds. 'Ladies,' boomed Helena, without a microphone, 'we all know why we're here tonight.'... Thunder boomed like battlefield cannons over Crooked Mountain. VERB: V with quote, V prep/adv, also V • Boom out means the same as boom. Music boomed out from loudspeakers... A megaphone boomed out, 'This is the police.'... He turned his sightless eyes their way and boomed out a greeting. PHRASAL VERB: V P prep/adv, V P with quote, V P n (not pron), also V P • Boom is also a noun. The stillness of night was broken by the boom of a cannon. N-COUNT; SOUND 6. see also baby boom

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. n. 1. Roar, resound, drone, hum. 2. Rush, bound, dash forward. II. n. Resounding noise, roar, booming, droning, deep and hollow humming.

Moby Thesaurus

Carling float, access, accession, accretion, accrual, accrue, accruement, accumulate, accumulation, addition, advance, aggrandizement, amplification, appreciate, appreciation, arch dam, ascent, augmentation, awake the dead, backfire, backstop, ball the jack, balloon, ballooning, balsa, balsa raft, bamboo curtain, bang, bank, bar, bark, barrage, barrel, barrier, batten, bawl, be reflected, be sent back, beam, bear-trap dam, beaver dam, bellow, birr, blare, blast, blast the ear, blat, bloat, bloating, bloom, blossom, blowout, blowup, blubber, board, bob, bombilate, bombinate, boom, booming, booming economy, boost, bottoming out, bounce back, bowl along, bray, breakwater, breastwork, breathe, breed, breeze, breeze along, brick wall, broaden, broadening, brush, buffer, buildup, bulkhead, bull market, bulwark, bum, buoy, burgeon, burgeoning, burr, burst, business cycle, business fluctuations, bust, buzz, cackle, cannonade, cant hook, cast loose, chant, chirp, clap, clap on ratlines, claw bar, clear hawse, clip, cofferdam, coo, cooling off, cork, crack, crank, crash, crescendo, crisis, crow, crowbar, cut along, cut loose, dam, deafen, defense, depression, detonation, develop, development, dike, din, discharge, ditch, downturn, drawl, drone, earthwork, echo, echo back, economic cycle, economic expansion, economic growth, edema, elevation, embankment, enlargement, exclaim, expanding economy, expansion, explode, explosion, extension, fatten, fence, fill the air, flare, flash, fleet, flit, float, flood, flourish, flower, flute, fly, fly low, foot, fulguration, fulmination, gain, gain strength, gasp, gate, get ahead, go fast, go up, gravity dam, greatening, groin, grow, grow fat, growl, growling, growth, grumble, grumbling, grunt, gush, handspike, haul, haul down, heave, heave apeak, heave round, heave short, high growth rate, highball, hike, hiss, hum, hydraulic-fill dam, increase, increment, inflation, intensify, iron crow, iron curtain, jam, jetty, jimmy, jump, kedge, keen, land-office business, lay, lay aloft, leap, leaping weir, levee, lever, life buoy, life preserver, life raft, lilt, limb, log, logjam, low, make knots, market expansion, marlinespike, milldam, moat, mole, mound, mount, mounting, multiplication, multiply, mumble, murmur, mutter, nip, outrigger, outstrip the wind, pant, parapet, peak, peaking, peal, peavey, pedal, pinch bar, pipe, pontoon, portcullis, pour it on, prize, productiveness, profitability, progress, proliferate, proliferation, prosper, prosperity, prosperousness, pry, purr, raft, raise, rampart, ratline down, rattle the windows, reboation, rebound, recession, recovery, reecho, rend the air, rend the ears, report, resonate, resound, resounding, return, reverberate, reverberation, ring, rip, ripping bar, rise, roadblock, roar, roaring trade, rock the sky, rock-fill dam, roll, rumble, rumbling, run up, scorch, scream, screech, seawall, send back, shoot up, shriek, shutter dam, sibilate, sigh, sing, sizzle, skim, slam, slowdown, slump, smash, snap, snarl, snort, snowball, snowballing, sob, sound, spar, spar down, speed, split the eardrums, split the ears, spread, squall, squawk, squeal, startle the echoes, stone wall, storm along, stream the log, strengthen, stun, surfboard, surge, sweep, swell, swelling, tear, tear along, thrive, thrum, thunder, thunder along, thundering, traverse a yard, treadle, trumpet, tumescence, twang, unlash, up, upping, upsurge, upswing, uptrend, upturn, wail, wall, warble, warp, wax, waxing, weir, wham, whine, whir, whisk, whisper, whiz, wicket dam, widen, widening, work, wrecking bar, yap, yawp, yell, yelp, zing, zip, zoom