as in drop
the act or process of going to a lower level or altitude
the pilot struggled to pull his plane out of a nosedive
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to plunge
to go to a lower level especially abruptly
prices on just about everything nose-dived right after the holidays
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of nosedive
ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
Head coach Joe Mazzulla blamed the Celtics’ fourth-quarter nosedive on the Wolves’ physicality, which his team failed to match.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 23 Mar. 2026
Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
Probably because ‘masculinity’ is a most fragile currency, ready to nose-dive at the first sign of vulnerability or difference.
—Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nosedive
Noun
Relations between Hungary and fellow EU members, strained since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, took a nosedive this month after Orbán backtracked on an agreement to provide Kyiv with a 90-billion euro ($104 billion) loan.
—ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
Head coach Joe Mazzulla blamed the Celtics’ fourth-quarter nosedive on the Wolves’ physicality, which his team failed to match.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 23 Mar. 2026
Verb
The plane soared upward to roughly 8,000 feet, then did a 1-minute, 15-second nose-dive into one of the busiest harbor channels in California.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
Probably because ‘masculinity’ is a most fragile currency, ready to nose-dive at the first sign of vulnerability or difference.
—Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nosedive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nosedive
Noun
-
Those are somewhat steeper drops than for ABC’s World News Tonight (-3 percent in both viewers and 25-54) and the NBC Nightly News (-7 percent in viewers, -9 percent in 25-54) have in the past four weeks, compared to the January-March period.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Apr. 2026
-
That last number reflects a 33% drop from 2022 due to industry-wide strike delays.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At its center is the story of a boy named Zac Brettler, who in November 2019, at the age of nineteen, plunged to his death from a balcony on the fifth floor of an upscale apartment complex a few minutes’ walk along the Thames from Tate Britain.—
Mark O’Connell,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Another section of the park will plunge those who are up for it into a more thrilling experience.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Expect a dip in humidity by Monday afternoon, which will help temperatures rise, along with southwest winds.—
Michael Autovino,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Only Rivian, Audi and Land Rover saw bigger dips.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
His portfolio fell 44% in the dot-com crash, and sustained a 40% loss in 2008.—
Terry Savage,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Lee then came up to the plate and fell behind in the count 1-2.—
Tony Gleason,
Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This year’s inductees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame lean far too male and over 60, with the class consisting of only six women spread among all of the categories — a disappointing decline after some notable changes following the departure of chairman Jann Wenner.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Relegation would trigger massive declines in matchday, broadcast and commercial revenue.—
Kurt Badenhausen,
Sportico.com,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
On Friday, Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz fully open to commercial traffic, sending crude prices tumbling more than 10%.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The flagellar bundle falls apart, and the cell tumbles.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In 1943, the United States government administered a questionnaire to people of Japanese descent who had been confined to wartime concentration camps in California, Idaho, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Arkansas.—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
All of these Les Lalanne pieces belong to the collection of Jean and Terry de Gunzburg — Jean is a Canadian of French aristocratic descent and a Bronfman of the Seagram’s empire; Terry was the creative director of YSL beauty.—
David Lê,
Curbed,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The number of immigrants arrested who have criminal convictions has plummeted, the data shows, while deportations of those with no criminal history have skyrocketed.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
26 Apr. 2026
-
By the time Schwab ends his session, the sun has started to set and the temperatures have plummeted.—
Jen Murphy,
Robb Report,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nosedive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nosedive. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
