recession

The word “recession” means a period of reduced economic activity, typically marked by falling output and rising unemployment. In plain terms, usually means an economic downturn, but can also mean any gradual withdrawal or retreat.

“Recession” is pronounced rih-SEHSHN (/ɹɪˈsɛʃn̩/ in IPA).

Here is “recession” used in a sentence: “The country fell into a recession after the banking crisis.”

“Recession” is a noun.

The word “recession” comes from Latin. From Latin recessio, from recedere ("to withdraw").

“Recession” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

“Recession” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a period of reduced economic activity, typically marked by falling output and rising unemployment.

A recession is a period of reduced economic activity marked by falling output and rising unemployment, while a depression is a far more severe and prolonged downturn. Economists generally treat a depression as an extreme, long-lasting form of recession rather than a separate category with its own fixed definition.

A slowdown refers to economic growth becoming weaker without necessarily turning negative, while a recession specifically involves output actually falling and unemployment rising. Not every slowdown becomes a recession, but every recession involves at least some period of economic contraction.

Yes, recession also has a more general sense meaning the act of gradually withdrawing or moving back, as in a receding tide or a receding hairline. This older, broader meaning is where the economic sense derives from, since a recession involves the economy 'receding' from previous growth.