recession

/rɪˈseʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /rɪˈseʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /ri-ˈse-shən/ (ame, mw)

recession — noun

  • recessionsingular
  • recessionsplural

1. a period, typically lasting several months or longer, during which an economy sh

1.名詞B2
釋義

a period, typically lasting several months or longer, during which an economy shrinks, companies produce and sell less, unemployment rises, and overall business activity slows down significantly.

例句

The country fell into a deep recession after the banking crisis of 2008.

collocation: fall into [a] recession

During the recession, Haruto's company laid off nearly half its workers.

同義詞
  • depression

    much more severe and long-lasting than a recession; used historically for the 1930s Great Depression

  • downturn

    a milder, less formal term for a decline in economic activity; may be shorter or less deep

  • slump

    a sharp, sudden fall in economic performance; more informal than recession

  • contraction

    a technical term for a reduction in economic output, used in formal economic reports

反義詞
  • expansion

    the phase of the business cycle in which the economy grows

  • boom

    a period of very strong economic growth and high activity

  • recovery

    the process of returning to normal levels after a recession has ended

用法筆記

Distinguish from depression: a recession is a moderate economic decline lasting months to a couple of years, whereas a depression is a far more severe and prolonged downturn (e.g. the Great Depression of the 1930s). Economists often use a working guideline of two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth as an indicator, though official declarations come from national authorities.

常見錯誤

❌The country is in a big recession.
✅The country is in a deep / severe recession.
💡'deep' and 'severe' are the standard collocations, not 'big'.
❌Many people lost work during the financial crisis recession.
✅The financial crisis caused a recession that led to widespread job losses.
💡Avoid using 'recession' as a vague label for any bad economic event; state what happened.

2. the act of moving away, drawing back, or becoming more distant relative to where

2.名詞C1
釋義

the act of moving away, drawing back, or becoming more distant relative to where something once was — for example, a glacier shrinking, a hairline retreating, or floodwaters subsiding.

例句

Scientists measured the steady recession of the glacier over three decades.

collocation: recession of [glacier / ice sheet]

The slow recession of the floodwaters revealed the damage left behind.

同義詞
  • retreat

    implies an active, often strategic moving back, especially in military contexts

  • withdrawal

    suggests a deliberate pulling back from a position, common in military or political usage

  • receding

    the gerund form of 'recede'; used for gradual physical movement (e.g. receding floodwaters)

反義詞
  • advance

    movement forward or toward a target

  • progress

    forward movement, often implying improvement or development

用法筆記

This sense is far less common than the economic meaning and appears mainly in formal, technical, or scientific writing. It often describes natural processes (glacial recession, coastal erosion), physical changes (hairline recession), or strategic military movement. Do not confuse with the medical term 'tissue recession' (a separate, specialized meaning).

常見錯誤

❌The recession of the army surprised everyone.' (confusing with economic sense)
✅The army's strategic withdrawal surprised everyone.
💡For military contexts, 'withdrawal' or 'retreat' is more natural than 'recession'.