plummet

1 of 2

verb

plum·​met ˈplə-mət 

plummeted; plummeting; plummets

intransitive verb

1

: to fall perpendicularly

birds plummeted down

2

: to drop sharply and abruptly

prices plummeted

plummet

2 of 2

noun

1

: plumb

also : plumb line

2

: an abrupt drop : an instance of plummeting

a sharp plummet in prices

If in the final week of the season, the Mets were trying to stop a plummet off a cliff, they are now attempting to climb out of a dark, deep abyss …

—Judy Battista

Synonyms of plummet

Verb

• fall
• plunge
• decline
• tumble
• dip
• drop

Examples of plummet in a Sentence

Verb

The acrobat plummeted into the net.

The car plummeted to the bottom of the canyon.

The satellite plummeted into the ocean.

Stock prices plummeted 40 percent during the scandal.

The TV show has plummeted in the ratings.

Temperatures are expected to plummet this weekend.

The town's population plummets when the students leave for the summer.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The next time temperatures soar to 100 degrees or plummet to 10, New Yorkers shouldn’t wonder if the power grid can keep up with air conditioners or heaters. — Mark Levine, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026

Climate change raises the stakes –– with yields of some traditional staple crops, like rice, already plummeting in places like Vietnam and Thailand. — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026

Noun

By the end of the 6-11 plummet, the Chiefs were 1-9 in one-score games — the kind of shift in dynamics that figures to leave followers with a certain ambient dread until proven otherwise. — Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026

When baseline execution is automated, the value of routine repetition plummets, while the value of high-level systems design and domain taste skyrockets. — Neda Nia, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English plomet, from Anglo-French plumet, plomet, from plum lead, lead weight — more at plumb

First Known Use

Verb

1845, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for plummet

• summit

Kids Definition

plummet

1 of 2 noun

plum·​met ˈpləm-ət 

1

: plumb entry 1

2

: plumb line

plummet

2 of 2 verb

: to fall straight down : plunge