1
: a downward nose-first plunge of a flying object (such as an airplane)
2
: a sudden extreme drop
stock prices took a nosedive
nose-dive
intransitive verb
Examples of nosedive in a Sentence
The plane went into a nosedive.
The stock market took a nosedive.
Recent Examples on the Web
When reimagining the fraught elevator drops of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror into Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout at Disney California Adventure, for instance, the sudden lifts and nosedives were played more for laughs to match the zaniness of the franchise.
—
Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2024
The staggering nosedive for Africa’s oldest liberation movement put one of the continent’s most stable countries and its largest economy onto an uneasy and uncharted course.
—John Eligon, New York Times, 1 June 2024
The pandemic and the ensuing crash in oil prices hit the country hard, and Putin’s approval ratings have taken a nosedive.
—Alina Polyakova, Foreign Affairs, 11 Aug. 2020
The nosedive came a day after American disclosed that Vasu Raja, its chief commercial officer, would depart in June.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 29 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for nosedive 
Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2024
The staggering nosedive for Africa’s oldest liberation movement put one of the continent’s most stable countries and its largest economy onto an uneasy and uncharted course.
—John Eligon, New York Times, 1 June 2024
The pandemic and the ensuing crash in oil prices hit the country hard, and Putin’s approval ratings have taken a nosedive.
—Alina Polyakova, Foreign Affairs, 11 Aug. 2020
The nosedive came a day after American disclosed that Vasu Raja, its chief commercial officer, would depart in June.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 29 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for nosedive
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nosedive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near nosedive
Cite this Entry
“Nosedive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nosedive. Accessed 16 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nosedive
1 of 2 noun
nose·dive
ˈnōz-ˌdīv 
1
: a downward nose-first plunge (as of an airplane)
2
: a sudden extreme drop (as in prices)
nose-dive
2 of 2 verb
nose-dived; nose-diving
: to plunge suddenly or sharply
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