plunged; plunging
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
1
: to thrust or cast oneself into or as if into water
2
a
: 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
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
Alex Harring, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey report for August, which was released on Tuesday, showed that construction job openings were nearly halved, plunging by 115,000 roles — the second-largest drop on record.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
Pat Wheeler, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Oct. 2025
Separately, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières said that as Port-au-Prince plunges deeper into crisis marked by violent clashes between police and armed groups, the charity’s doctors are seeing a rise in the number of civilian casualties at its facilities.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for plunge
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Verb
The share of hires with little work experience has plunged more than 50% at large-cap tech companies between 2019 and 2024, according to venture capital firm SignalFire.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey report for August, which was released on Tuesday, showed that construction job openings were nearly halved, plunging by 115,000 roles — the second-largest drop on record.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
Before the final push by Bell that ended in the interception, the Blue Raiders’ defense made a stop at their own 10-yard line when linebacker Asher Saintelus was able to stop the powerful plunge by Sela.
—Pat Wheeler, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Oct. 2025
Separately, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières said that as Port-au-Prince plunges deeper into crisis marked by violent clashes between police and armed groups, the charity’s doctors are seeing a rise in the number of civilian casualties at its facilities.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for plunge
Cite this Entry
“Plunge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plunge. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
plunge
1 of 2 verb
plunged; plunging
1
: to push or drive into something with force
plunged a knife into the pie
2
: to leap or dive into water
3
a
: to rush with reckless haste
plunged into debt
b
: to bring into an unpleasant state
plunged the family into gloom
4
: to dip or move suddenly downward or forward and downward
the road plunges along the slope
plunge
2 of 2 noun
: a sudden dive, leap, or rush
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