- economy
- noun1 operation of a country's money supplyADJECTIVE▪ booming, buoyant (esp. BrE), dynamic, healthy, prosperous, robust, sound, stable, strong, thriving, vibrant▪ expanding, growing▪ improving, recovering, strengthening▪ ailing, bad (esp. AmE), declining, depressed, failing, faltering, flagging, moribund, sagging (esp. AmE), slowing, sluggish, slumping (esp. AmE), sputtering (esp. AmE), stagnant, struggling, troubled, weakening▪
The government devalued the currency to try to revive the flagging economy.
▪ fragile, vulnerable, weak▪ overheated▪ bubble▪In order for our bubble economy to continue expanding, Americans must continue spending.
▪ competitive▪ sustainable▪ advanced, developed, modern▪ developing, emerging, new, third-world▪ agrarian, agricultural, capitalist, free-market, industrial, industrialized, knowledge-based, liberal, market, mixed, monetary, planned, political, rural, socialist▪a modern industrial economy
▪ domestic, global, globalized, internal, international, local, national, world▪the increasingly competitive global economy
▪ black, illicit (AmE), informal, underground▪The black economy booms when there is high unemployment.
VERB + ECONOMY▪ build, create, rebuild▪Each party has its own strategy for building a strong economy.
▪ control, handle, manage, regulate, run▪The government was accused of failing to run the economy competently.
▪ bolster, boost, develop, expand, grow (esp. AmE), improve, jump-start, kick-start, rescue, revitalize, revive, spur, stimulate, strengthen▪ cripple, damage, destabilize, destroy, devastate, disrupt, harm, hurt, ruin, undermine, weaken, wreck▪ drive, fuel▪Income from this exported crop drove the economy of Mali.
▪ slow▪Government measures to slow the economy failed to curb fuel demand growth.
▪ shape, transform▪This massive retailer has been shaping the economy for a decade.
▪ benefit, help, support, sustain▪We want to support the local economy.
▪ threaten▪Should we be worried that a dollar crisis threatens the economy?
▪ fix (esp. AmE), stabilize▪ reform, restructure▪ liberalize, modernize▪Japan has successfully modernized its economy.
▪ diversify▪Cuba should have been able to diversify its economy.
▪ dominate▪Tourism clearly dominates the local economy.
ECONOMY + VERB▪ boom, develop, expand, flourish, grow, improve▪ be in recession, go into recession▪ collapse, contract, decline, fail, falter, shrink, slow, stagnate, struggle, suffer▪ pick up, rebound, recover, stabilize, turn around, turn round (esp. BrE)▪ be based on sth▪The region has an economy based on services and finance.
▪ emerge from sth▪The South African economy emerged from decades of international isolation.
▪ experience sth▪It has been a while since the economy experienced a deep economic downturn.
▪ function, operate, perform▪The economy is functioning very poorly.
▪ move▪It's the industry which keeps our national economy moving.
▪ hum (AmE), hum along (esp. AmE)▪The economy is humming along at a healthy 4% pace.
▪ create sth, generate sth, produce sthPHRASES▪ an area of the economy, a sector of the economy▪Drivers are needed in all sectors of the economy.
▪ the backbone of the economy, the mainstay of the economy▪Agriculture was the backbone of the economy.
▪ a downturn in the economy, a downturn of the economy▪A downturn in the economy is affecting many small businesses.
▪ growth in the economy, growth of the economy▪A small manufacturing sector inhibits growth in the economy.
▪ control, handling, management, etc. of the economy▪37% approved the president's handling of the economy.
▪ the size of the economy, the state of the economy▪The government has been criticized over the state of the economy.
2 careful use of money/time/resourcesADJECTIVE▪ significant▪ false▪Buying cheap shoes is a false economy.
▪ fuel▪The company has improved the fuel economy of all its vehicles.
VERB + ECONOMY▪ achieve, make▪We could achieve major economies in time with this new machinery.
ECONOMY + NOUN▪ drive (BrE)▪Savings are being planned as part of a huge economy drive.
PREPOSITION▪ economy in▪possible economies in telephone costs
PHRASES▪ economy of effort, economy of movement▪It was impressive to see her economy of movement as she worked the machine.
▪ economy of scale▪Bigger markets can provide significant economies of scale.
Collocations dictionary. 2013.
