Meaning & use
hit a slump
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiominformal
To suddenly enter a period of poor performance or low activity after doing well.
Grammar: Used with a subject that performs: a team, player, company, or person can hit a slump.
Patterns
- hit a slump
- hit a slump in something
The team hit a slump after winning ten games in a row.
Sales hit a slump in the spring and never fully recovered.
Common combinations
- hit a slump in sales
- The company hit a slump in sales last quarter.
- hit a batting slump
- The star player hit a batting slump in June.
- hit a slump after
- She hit a slump after her injury.
- hit a slump in form
- The team hit a slump in form and lost five matches.
Synonyms and how they differ
- go into decline
- More formal and suggests a longer, gradual worsening, not a sudden drop.
- take a nosedive
- Stronger and more dramatic; suggests a sharp fall, often in numbers or value.
- struggle
- Focuses on the difficulty itself, not the start of a bad period.
Opposites
Commonly confused: hit a slump or slum?
hit a slump vs slum
A slum is a poor, crowded area of a city. A slump is a period of poor performance or low activity.
Practice
After three strong seasons, the club ___ a slump and lost six games in a row.
Choose one answer.
The past tense 'hit' fits the past-time context. 'Hits' is present tense and does not match 'lost'. 'Hitting' needs a helping verb. 'Hit on' means to discover an idea, not to enter a bad period.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hit a slump”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.