plunge

verb

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\ ˈplənj

plunged; plunging

Definition of plunge

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to cause to penetrate or enter quickly and forcibly into something plunged the dagger

2 : to cause to enter a state or course of action usually suddenly, unexpectedly, or violently plunged the nation into economic depression

intransitive verb

1 : to thrust or cast oneself into or as if into water

2a : to become pitched or thrown headlong or violently forward and downward also : to move oneself in such a manner plunged off the embankment

b : to act with reckless haste : enter suddenly or unexpectedly plunges into project after project

c : to bet or gamble heavily and recklessly

3 : to descend or dip suddenly the stock's value plunged

plunge

noun

Definition of plunge (Entry 2 of 2)

: an act or instance of plunging : dive also : swim

— see also take the plunge

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about plunge

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Synonyms for plunge

Synonyms: Verb

Synonyms: Noun

dive,
pitch

Examples of plunge in a Sentence

Verb Her car plunged off a bridge. The stock market plunged yesterday. The President's approval rating has plunged to 20 percent. The moose population has plunged in recent years. The rocky cliffs plunge into the swirling rapids below. The road plunges down the mountain. Noun Amazingly, the cat survived its plunge from the building's roof. Market analysts predicted a price plunge. The store experienced a sharp plunge in sales.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The low Monday could drop to 1 degree, and wind chill values could plunge below zero. — Dallas News, "What’s making Dallas-Fort Worth so cold?," 14 Feb. 2021 Hearing a Beatles song on the radio might even plunge you into momentary despair. — Lori Gottlieb, The Atlantic, "Dear Therapist: COVID-19 Took My Father. I Am So Angry.," 28 Dec. 2020 Teams then plunge down the backside of the alpine pass, a wild ride for a dog driver. — Marc Lester, Anchorage Daily News, "The Summit Quest: How one of Alaska’s toughest races tests mushers with mountains, rocks and cold," 16 Feb. 2021 An arctic blast will cause temperatures in Houston to plunge by early next week. — Jay R. Jordan, Chron, "National Weather Service: 'Increased confidence' for Houston's snow chances this weekend," 10 Feb. 2021 Thursday’s late cold front is expected to plunge temperatures from the 70s on Thursday into the 40s by Friday, according to Johnson. — Dallas News, "A taste of spring set for Dallas-Fort Worth before back-to-back cold fronts," 1 Feb. 2021 On Thursday, several online brokerages shut down trading in GameStop, causing the company’s price to plunge by almost two-thirds before steadying. — New York Times, "The ‘Roaring Kitty’ Rally: How a Reddit User and His Friends Roiled the Markets," 29 Jan. 2021 On some sections of the trail, hikers are forced to either plunge into a puddle or step around it and walk along the edge of a cliff (many, perhaps reflexively, choose the latter). — oregonlive, "What you need to know before hiking the reopened Eagle Creek Trail," 9 Jan. 2021 Many adaptations later, some birds began to not only stick their heads under water, but also plunge the rest of their body downward. — Elizabeth Pennisi, Science | AAAS, "Watch this ‘nonswimming’ bird swim like a champ, giving clues to evolution of penguins," 5 Jan. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The stock market saw another plunge and ended the day with a 9.99% loss. — Ivan Pereira, ABC News, "A year of COVID-19: What was going on in the US in March 2020," 5 Mar. 2021 The Wall Street Journal reports: The ETFs suffered double-digit percentage decreases last week, their biggest routs since the stock market’s plunge last March, according to FactSet. — Daniel Tenreiro, National Review, "Investors Bet on Higher Inflation," 4 Mar. 2021 The steep plunge coincides with when TB’s modern variant emerged, according to ancient DNA studies. — Ann Gibbons, Science | AAAS, "How tuberculosis reshaped our immune systems," 4 Mar. 2021 The ETFs suffered double-digit percentage decreases last week, their biggest routs since the stock market’s plunge last March, according to FactSet. — Michael Wursthorn, WSJ, "Cathie Wood’s ARK Investment Faces Reckoning as Tech Trade Stalls," 4 Mar. 2021 The company attributed the plunge in part to a 25.3-million-visit decrease in theme park attendance. — Hugo Martín, Los Angeles Times, "Universal Studios Hollywood to reopen with a food and shopping event," 4 Mar. 2021 The Bay Area saw an even steeper plunge, with COVID-19 deaths falling by a third in February, to 40 deaths a day, compared to January’s 54. — Chronicle Staff, San Francisco Chronicle, "Coronavirus updates from the Bay Area: Feb. 25-Mar. 3, 2021," 3 Mar. 2021 These are the questions that many in Hollywood are asking after Sunday’s disastrous Golden Globes ceremony brought in 6.9 million viewers, a free-fall plunge from last year’s tally of 18.3 million. — New York Times, "The Dos and Don’ts of Staging a Pandemic-Era Awards Show," 3 Mar. 2021 The cutting of the undersea cables and the resulting plunge into darkness was the demonstrable fact that, when discussed around the conference table, proved Beijing had crossed the red line. — Elliot Ackerman, Wired, "2034, Part VI: Crossing the Red Line," 2 Mar. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'plunge.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.