Overall trends

20 words

1. 1

   increaseverb / noun/ɪnˈkriːs/

   to become larger in amount or number; an instance of this

   “Between 2005 and 2015 the number of internet users increased dramatically.”

2. 2

   decreaseverb / noun/dɪˈkriːs/

   to become smaller in amount or number; an instance of this

   “Air pollution levels decreased after the factory closed.”

3. 3

   graduallyadverb/ˈɡrædʒuəli/

   slowly and over a period of time; by small degrees

   “The unemployment rate decreased gradually over five years.”

4. 4

   fluctuateverb/ˈflʌktʃueɪt/

   to change frequently in amount or level, up and down

   “Exchange rates fluctuated throughout the year, making forecasting difficult.”

5. 5

   remain stableverb phrase/rɪˈmeɪn ˈsteɪbəl/

   to stay at a similar level without significant change

   “After initial fluctuations the unemployment rate remained stable for five years.”

6. 6

   peakverb / noun/piːk/

   to reach the highest point / the highest point itself

   “Tourist arrivals peaked in August before falling in September.”

7. 7

   sharplyadverb/ˈʃɑːpli/

   suddenly and by a large amount

   “Unemployment fell sharply after the new law was introduced.”

8. 8

   soarverb/sɔːr/

   to increase very quickly to a high level

   “After the price cut, online orders soared within days.”

9. 9

   outpaceverb/aʊtˈpeɪs/

   to grow or move faster than someone or something else

   “Urban population growth outpaced rural growth throughout the period.”

10. 10

    plummetverb/ˈplʌmɪt/

    to fall very quickly and by a large amount

    “When the scandal broke, the company’s share price plummeted overnight.”

11. 11

    significantadjective/sɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt/

    large or important enough to be noticed or to matter in an analysis

    “There was a significant rise in smartphone ownership between 2005 and 2015.”

12. 12

    surgenoun / verb/sɜːdʒ/

    a sudden large increase, or to increase suddenly and strongly

    “There was a surge in demand for heaters during the cold snap.”

13. 13

    accelerateverb/əkˈseləreɪt/

    to increase in speed or make something increase in speed or rate

    “After the new investment, the growth of exports accelerated.”

14. 14

    level offphrasal verb/ˈlevəl ɒf/

    to stop rising or falling and remain at a steady level

    “After the initial surge, membership numbers leveled off.”

15. 15

    dropverb / noun/drɒp/

    to fall to a lower level or amount; a fall

    “Visitor numbers dropped sharply after the attraction closed for renovation.”

16. 16

    reboundverb / noun/rɪˈbaʊnd/

    to rise again after falling; (noun) a rise after a fall

    “After dropping sharply in 2008, car sales rebounded in 2009.”

17. 17

    dipverb / noun/dɪp/

    to fall slightly or for a short period; a small fall

    “Profits dipped in January but recovered by March.”

18. 18

    slightlyadverb/ˈslaɪtli/

    to a small degree; a little

    “Attendance increased slightly in the summer months.”

19. 19

    bottom outphrasal verb/ˈbɒtəm aʊt/

    to reach the lowest point and stop falling before starting to rise

    “After months of decline, housing prices finally bottomed out in March.”

20. 20

    moderatelyadverb/ˈmɒdərətli/

    to a medium extent; neither slight nor large

    “The population grew moderately during the 1990s.”