NOSE-DIVING Synonyms: 54 Similar and Opposite Words

nose-diving

verb

present participle of nose-dive

as in plunging

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

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for nose-diving

Verb

Pilots have compared landing on the short runway, with either side plunging straight down off the side of a vertical cliff, to landing on an aircraft carrier.

— Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
And this week, our story about the dwindling water levels in Lake Powell, the country’s second-largest reservoir, shows breathtaking expanses of dry canyon plunging to a shrinking, narrow ribbon of teal green.

— Stephanie Hanes, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of plunging

Verb

McGuire said the country’s murder rate is at a 126-year low and argued that falling fentanyl deaths and drug trafficking are evidence that the administration’s border and law enforcement policies are working.

— Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026
Applications jumped from roughly 3,500 a year before COVID to a record 18,561 in 2024, before falling nearly 30% last year and continuing to decline in 2026.

— Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of falling

Verb

Cliffs teeter at 1,640 feet, before tumbling down in a flurry of vineyards and walking trails to the rushing rivers and gorges of Sil and Miño.

— Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Sep. 2026
But many homeowners locked in low mortgage rates when COVID-19 slammed the economy and sent borrowing costs tumbling; so they are protected if mortgage rates rise in the wake of a Fed raTte hike.

— Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of tumbling

Verb

Local officials and school leaders have linked the shortage of family housing to declining enrollment in the Davis Joint Unified School District, which is weighing school closures.

— Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 1 Oct. 2026
And the Civilian Oversight Commission filed suit against the department in June for declining to provide certain records related to three cases of use of force the commission issued subpoenas for in February 2025.

— Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of declining

Verb

Voices, voices, voices, chirping, screeching, rising high to a crescendo, dipping low for a moment, then soaring straight up again.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
Apply the vinegar by spraying it directly onto the surface or by dipping a microfiber cloth into the solution, wringing it out, and wiping the appliance.

— Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of dipping

Verb

This dynamic sent SaaS stocks plummeting earlier this year, but many have regained some ground (registration required) as reality sets in.

— Dan Faulkner, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
But alas, eventually all involved have to get down to business and actually contend with the plot beats of Hoover’s story, which is when the movie careens off a cliff, plummeting past so-bad-it’s-good and crashing on the rocks of agonizingly dumb.

— Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of plummeting

Verb

Back in the United States two weeks after dropping its Big 12 opener to Arizona State in England, Kansas crushed Middle Tennessee of Conference USA 55-0 Saturday at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

— Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2026
After starting 3-0 in district play in 2025, the Blue Raiders lost some steam, dropping five straight games facing a tough schedule.

— Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of dropping

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.

Browse Nearby Words

nose-dives

nose-diving

nosed out

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“Nose-diving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nose-diving. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of nose-diving

verb

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