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

This spring, artists like Tate McRae, Teddy Swims, and Benson Boone all took the plunge, playing every stop on the Lollapalooza circuit across South America. —Alex Ashley, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2025

Angelina Katsanis | Reuters Pattern Group, one of the leading resellers on Amazon, took the plunge into the public markets Friday and saw its stock rise slightly in its Nasdaq debut. —Annie Palmer, CNBC, 19 Sep. 2025

Stephen Curry and Ayesha Curry also took the plunge with an identical set of arrows pointing at each other. —Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025

Other countries have already taken the plunge. —Robert Hoban, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for take the plunge

• expunge
• lunge
• sponge
• muskellunge