take the plunge

idiomatic phrase

informal

: to do or undertake something especially after a period of hesitation or uncertainty

Up to now, I've avoided growing roses. … But last winter the ripe catalogue shots of roses took hold in my imagination, and I decided to take the plunge.

—Michael Pollan

As with any new OS upgrade, it is prudent to wait awhile before taking the plunge, to make sure others have had a chance to find all the bugs.

—Peter H. Lewis

If you've considered buying an e-reader but haven't yet taken the plunge, there's no longer a need to wait.

—Joshua J. Romero

Examples of take the plunge in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Going forward, Pai argued that examples of successful Southeast Asian founders will encourage more to take the plunge and start their own company. —Angelica Ang, Fortune, 24 Nov. 2025

Frederick Anderson, who has built a strong business in contemporary luxury womenswear, is taking the plunge into men’s. —Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 21 Nov. 2025

After over 30 seconds of continuous monkey cannonballs, the rhesus macaques' water show appears to end, and all of the monkeys who took the plunge swim to land away from Kitchen. —Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025

Ksubi Streetwear brand Ksubi is taking the plunge into swimwear. —Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 24 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for take the plunge

• expunge
• lunge
• sponge
• muskellunge