Standard Lemma guide

recession

noun · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ɹɪˈsɛʃn̩/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛʃən
  • CMU ARPABET: R IH0 S EH1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: R IY2 S EH1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The act or an instance of receding or withdrawing.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: withdrawal

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A period of low temperatures that causes a reduction in species; ice age.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A period of reduced economic activity.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: economics, sciences

Examples

  • Statisticians often define a recession as negative real GDP growth during two consecutive quarters.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: boom

4

noun

Meaning 4

The ceremonial filing out of clergy and/or choir at the end of a church service.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: return procession

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

The act of ceding something back.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A procedure in which an extraocular muscle is detached from the globe of the eye and reattached posteriorly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: medicine, sciences, surgery

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

the act of becoming more distant

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: receding

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: withdrawal

8

noun

Meaning 8

the act of ceding back

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ceding back

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: cession, ceding

9

noun

Meaning 9

the withdrawal of the clergy and choir from the chancel to the vestry at the end of a church service

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: recessional

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: procession

10

noun

Meaning 10

a small concavity

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: recess, niche, corner

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: concave shape, concavity, incurvation, incurvature

Narrower terms: pharyngeal recess

11

noun

Meaning 11

the state of the economy declines; a widespread decline in the GDP and employment and trade lasting from six months to a year

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: economic condition

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin recessiō, from recēdō (“recede, retreat”), from re- (“back”) + cēdō (“to go”). By surface analysis, recess + -ion.

Across languages

Translations

93 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: отте́гляне (ottégljane) — act or instance of receding
  • Bulgarian: отдалеча́ване (otdalečávane) — act or instance of receding
  • Dutch: terugtrekking — act or instance of receding
  • Dutch: terugtocht — act or instance of receding
  • Finnish: taantuminen — act or instance of receding
  • Finnish: vetäytyminen — act or instance of receding
  • Hebrew: נסיגה (nesigá) — act or instance of receding
  • Māori: paheketanga — act or instance of receding
  • Polish: recesja — act or instance of receding
  • Romanian: retragere — act or instance of receding
  • Romanian: recesiune — act or instance of receding
  • Romanian: recesie — act or instance of receding
  • Romanian: îndepărtare — act or instance of receding
  • Thai: การถอย (gaan-tɔ̌i) — act or instance of receding
  • Albanian: recesion — period of reduced economic activity
  • Arabic: تَرَاجُع (tarājuʕ) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Armenian: անկում (ankum) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Azerbaijani: resessiya — period of reduced economic activity
  • Belarusian: спад (spad) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Belarusian: рэцэ́сія (recésija) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Bulgarian: реце́сия (recésija) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Catalan: recessió — period of reduced economic activity
  • Chinese Mandarin: 衰退 (shuāituì) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Chinese Mandarin: 退去 (tuìqù) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Chinese Mandarin: 蕭條 /萧条 (xiāotiáo) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Chinese Mandarin: 下行 (xiàxíng) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Czech: recese — period of reduced economic activity
  • Danish: recession — period of reduced economic activity
  • Dutch: recessie — period of reduced economic activity
  • Esperanto: recesio — period of reduced economic activity
  • Estonian: retsessioon — period of reduced economic activity
  • Estonian: majanduslangus — period of reduced economic activity
  • Finnish: taantuma — period of reduced economic activity
  • Finnish: laskusuhdanne — period of reduced economic activity
  • French: récession — period of reduced economic activity
  • Georgian: რეცესია (recesia) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Georgian: ეკონომიკური უკუსვლა (eḳonomiḳuri uḳusvla) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Georgian: ეკონომიკური დაქვეითება (eḳonomiḳuri dakveiteba) — period of reduced economic activity
  • German: Rezession — period of reduced economic activity
  • Greek: ύφεση (ýfesi) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Hebrew: מיתון \ מִתּוּן (mitún) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Hindi: मंदी (mandī) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Hungarian: recesszió — period of reduced economic activity
  • Indonesian: resesi — period of reduced economic activity
  • Indonesian: kemerosotan — period of reduced economic activity
  • Irish: cúlú — period of reduced economic activity
  • Italian: recessione — period of reduced economic activity
  • Japanese: 不況 (fukyō) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Japanese: 退去 (taikyo) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Japanese: 衰退 (suitai) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Kazakh: рецессия (resessiä) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Khmer: ដំណើរធ្លាក់ចុះនៃសេដ្ឋកិច្ច (dɑmnaə-thlĕək coh-nɨy-seetthaʼkəc) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Korean: 불황 (bulhwang) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Korean: 후퇴 (hutoe) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Lao: ຕົກຕໍ່າ (tok tam) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Lao: ເສດຖະກິດຕົກຕໍ່າ (sēt tha kit tok tam) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Latvian: recesija — period of reduced economic activity
  • Lithuanian: recesija — period of reduced economic activity
  • Luxembourgish: Rezessioun — period of reduced economic activity
  • Macedonian: рецесија (recesija) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Malay: kemelesetan — period of reduced economic activity
  • Māori: paheketanga ohaoha — period of reduced economic activity
  • Norwegian Bokmål: resesjon — period of reduced economic activity
  • Norwegian Bokmål: nedgangstid — period of reduced economic activity
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: nedgangstid — period of reduced economic activity
  • Persian: کسادی (kasâdi, kesâdi) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Persian: رکود (rokud) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Polish: recesja — period of reduced economic activity
  • Portuguese: recessão — period of reduced economic activity
  • Romanian: recesiune — period of reduced economic activity
  • Russian: спад (spad) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Russian: реце́ссия (recéssija) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Serbo-Croatian: рецѐсија — period of reduced economic activity
  • Serbo-Croatian: recèsija — period of reduced economic activity
  • Slovak: recesia — period of reduced economic activity
  • Slovene: recesija — period of reduced economic activity
  • Spanish: recesión — period of reduced economic activity
  • Swedish: recession — period of reduced economic activity
  • Swedish: lågkonjunktur — period of reduced economic activity
  • Thai: ภาวะเศรษฐกิจถดถอย (paa-wá-sèet-tà-gìt-tòt-tɔ̌i) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Turkish: resesyon — period of reduced economic activity
  • Ukrainian: спад (spad) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Ukrainian: реце́сія (recésija) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Vietnamese: sự suy sút — period of reduced economic activity
  • Vietnamese: sự suy thoái — period of reduced economic activity
  • Welsh: dirwasgiad — period of reduced economic activity
  • Yakut: рецессия (retsessiya) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Yiddish: רעסעסיע (resesye) — period of reduced economic activity
  • Dutch: uittredeprocessie — ceremonial filing out of clergy and/or choir at the end of a church service
  • Finnish: ristikulkue — ceremonial filing out of clergy and/or choir at the end of a church service
  • Finnish: ristisaatto — ceremonial filing out of clergy and/or choir at the end of a church service
  • Finnish: takaisinluovutus — act of ceding something back
  • Finnish: takaisin luovuttaminen — act of ceding something back
Real reading context

recession in complete knowledge articles