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

Layoffs hit the highest level in 14 years; job openings are barely budging; and quits figures are plummeting. —Sydney Lake, Fortune, 16 Dec. 2025

Below the dark, jagged water in front of us, the seafloor plummeted to nearly 1,000 feet—the deepest channel in the San Juan Islands. —Kelso Harper, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025

Noun

Pantheon Macroeconomics found recently tariffs have brought in $100 billion less than the White House first expected, with a plummet in imports from China the main reason. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 4 Dec. 2025

In programs that require families to do anything, participation plummets. —Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025

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