Meaning & use
bottoming out
Last updated
“bottoming out” is a form of “bottom out”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbphrasal verb
Reaching the lowest point before starting to recover or level off.
Grammar: No object; the particle out is essential: prices are bottoming out.
Patterns
- something is bottoming out
Economists think house prices are bottoming out.
The company's sales are bottoming out after a bad year.
The unemployment rate seems to be bottoming out.
verbphrasal verbtechnical
When something such as a vehicle's suspension hits its lowest possible point.
Grammar: No object: the car is bottoming out on bumps.
Patterns
- bottoming out on something
The truck kept bottoming out on the rough road.
Her bike was bottoming out on every pothole.
The suspension is bottoming out under the heavy load.
Word forms
| base form | bottom out |
|---|---|
| third person singular | bottoms out |
| past tense | bottomed out |
| -ing form | bottoming out |
Common combinations
- market bottoming out
- The market is bottoming out after the drop.
- prices bottoming out
- Prices are bottoming out in many cities.
- economy bottoming out
- Experts say the economy is bottoming out.
- sales bottoming out
- Sales are bottoming out this quarter.
- bottoming out soon
- Analysts expect the decline to be bottoming out soon.
Synonyms and how they differ
- levelling off
- Levelling off suggests stopping the change in either direction, while bottoming out means stopping a fall.
- hitting rock bottom
- Hitting rock bottom stresses the lowest possible point and is more emotional.
- stabilizing
- Stabilizing means becoming steady, but it does not say that the lowest point has been reached.
- touching bottom
- Touching bottom is more literal and less common for markets.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: bottoming out or bottoming up?
bottoming out vs bottoming up
Bottoms up is a drinking toast, unrelated to a decline ending.
Practice
Analysts believe the housing market is finally ____ after two years of falling prices.
Choose one answer.
Bottoming out means reaching the lowest point before recovery. Topping out is the opposite, and the others do not describe markets.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bottoming out”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.