baby boom

American  

noun

1. a period of sharp increase in the birthrate, as that in the U.S. following World War II.

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baby boom British  

noun

1. Also called (esp Brit): the bulge.  a sharp increase in the birth rate of a population, esp the one that occurred after World War II

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Etymology

Origin of baby boom

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

As Pew notes in other research, there were 76 million births during the baby boom generation, and the oldest among that group are now hitting 80.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 26, 2026

Theme parks flourished in the wake of World War II, driven by the country’s economic prosperity and resulting baby boom.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

For the baby boom generation, those included the JFK assassination and the Vietnam War.

From Salon • Dec. 19, 2025

The result: Hundreds of millions of Swifties will then quickly emulate their idol, setting off a marriage and baby boom among millennials and Gen Zers.

From Barron's • Dec. 5, 2025

It was the tail end of the baby boom in a heavily Catholic community, back when Catholics still listened to Rome on matters of birth control.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove