boom

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: B2 — Upper-Intermediate

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a deep prolonged loud noise
  2. noun a state of economic prosperity
  3. noun a sudden happening that brings good fortune (as a sudden opportunity to make money)

Etymology

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.

In classic literature

Synonyms

roar, roaring, thunder

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