NOSE-DIVE Synonyms: 73 Similar and Opposite Words

nosedive 1 of 2

noun

ˈnōz-ˌdīv

Definition of nosedive

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

nose-dive

2 of 2

verb

as in to plunge

to go to a lower level especially abruptly prices on just about everything nose-dived right after the holidays

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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

Noun

The nosedive in trust in journalism is multifactorial, and journalists themselves are not without blame. — Adrienne Lafrance, The Atlantic, 1 June 2026 The Postpartum Hormone Plunge The primary culprit behind this sudden desert-dry texture is the dramatic hormonal nosedive that occurs immediately after childbirth. — Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 28 May 2026

Verb

Trust in Netanyahu’s government nose-dived after the deadly 2023 Hamas attack. — ABC News, 26 Apr. 2026 The young actor was hoping to earn his first Oscar for his performance in Josh Safdie’s ping-pong caper Marty Supreme, but a bold awards campaign took a nose-dive in early March, unhelped by Chalamet’s opera-ballet comments. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 13 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for nosedive

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nosedive

Noun

Changes over the seven days ranged from a drop of 5% to an increase of 2%.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 11 July 2026
Another investigator testified that the distance from the apparent sniper's perch to the tent where Kirk was speaking was about 410 feet, with a 68-foot vertical drop.

— N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 10 July 2026

Definition of drop

Verb

Atlantia was the controlling shareholder in motorway operator Autostrade per l’Italia at the time of the disaster which killed 43 people when their vehicles plunged from the flyover.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
The satellites would only survive about 20 minutes before ultimately plunging to their fiery doom reentering Earth’s atmosphere.

— Lee Billings & Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 16 July 2026

Definition of plunge

Noun

On the other side of the haves and have-nots equation, states that had been on the upswing as far as production spending and activity only a few years ago have seen dips this quarter, including in Georgia, New Mexico and Illinois.

— Erik Hayden, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2026
The Kepler telescope, which discovered 452b, was designed to detect these small dips in brightness.

— Elijah Tan, Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 July 2026

Definition of dip

Noun

The stock had logged its steepest one-day decline on Monday, as investors locked in profits amid growing worries over AI spending.

— Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 16 July 2026
After months of decline, gas prices across the country are steadily increasing after the fragile ceasefire between Iran and the United States broke down last week.

— Mirtha Donastorg, AJC.com, 15 July 2026

Definition of decline

Verb

This mixture is pushed through an extruder to form tiny, sprinkle-like cylinders, which are then tumbled in a rapidly spinning chamber to round them into near-spherical particles.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026
Spectrum launched for the first time in March 2025, from Europe's Andøya Spaceport in Norway, but the rocket began to tumble shortly after clearing the tower and fell back to Earth in a fiery explosion.

— Josh Dinner, Space.com, 10 July 2026

Definition of tumble

Noun

The 61-year-old was treated in Greece for neck and shoulder injuries and friction burns, after a sudden cabin depressurization triggered oxygen masks and a rapid descent.

— Costas Kantouris, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
Both Carpenter and Obeng are Black, but as the lawsuit reads, Carpenter is not of either Canadian nationality or Ghanaian descent.

— Ilana Arougheti July 10, Kansas City Star, 10 July 2026

Definition of descent

Verb

The temperature that day had reached 99 degrees and the city had wilted, but the downpour caused the mercury to plummet a good 10 degrees.

— Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
In Grokipedia’s example, the site's traffic plummeted between January and February 2026.

— Bar Maimon, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Definition of plummet

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nosed

nosedive

nose-dive

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“Nosedive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nosedive. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of nosedive

noun

verb

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