lunge
1 Americannoun
verb (used without object)
-
lunges,
present (3rd person singular)
-
lunged,
past participle, past
-
lunging
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
lunges,
present (3rd person singular)
-
lunged,
past participle, past
-
lunging
present participle
noun
noun
-
a sudden forward motion
-
fencing a thrust made by advancing the front foot and straightening the back leg, extending the sword arm forwards
verb
-
to move or cause to move with a lunge
-
(intr) fencing to make a lunge
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
lungesimple
-
lungessimple
-
have lungedperfect
-
has lungedperfect
-
am lungingprogressive
-
are lungingprogressive
-
is lungingprogressive
-
have been lungingperfect progressive
-
has been lungingperfect progressive
Past
-
lungedsimple
-
had lungedperfect
-
was lungingprogressive
-
were lungingprogressive
-
had been lungingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of lunge1
1725–35; earlier longe for French allonge (noun; construed as a longe ), allonger (v.) to lengthen, extend, deliver (blows) < Vulgar Latin *allongāre, for Late Latin ēlongāre to elongate
Origin of lunge2
Explanation
To lunge is to move forward suddenly, often in a thrusting manner. A parent might lunge to grab a runaway child. Lunging is not usually a graceful movement. A lunge is quick and desperate. If it suddenly rains, people will lunge to get under an awning. In football, when the ball is hiked, the linemen lunge at each other. Lunging always involves moving forward.
Vocabulary lists containing lunge
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Fearing for his passengers, he made a desperate lunge and opened the cockpit door, allowing rescuers to burst in.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Competitors ski, push and pull sleds, row, burpee, lunge and throw heavy medicine balls at a target in an effort to finish in the fastest time.
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2026
Witnesses have said he did not lunge at officers or pose an immediate threat.
From Salon ● Jan. 25, 2026
Griezmann grabbed his second with 10 minutes remaining after Ryan denied Julian Alvarez but the loose ball sat up nicely for the French forward to lunge in and turn over the line.
From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2025
I met him lunge for lunge, attack for attack.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Elsewhere, a staff member lunged towards a toddler-sized robot in a T-shirt that threatened to knock into a human child.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
Teacher Vicki Williams previously told the court the boy followed her into a classroom to ask her for help with his history work and then "lunged" at her.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
On that night, in Kansas City, Messi lunged for a ball and raked his studs on the calf of an Algerian defender.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
He adopted the classic squat, lunged forward and smashed into a substantial belly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2025
“Jump in the snow!” she screamed, and lunged into an embankment of snow, putting the fire out.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
The ball ricocheted off its intended course, but Rojas nabbed it with his bare hand, throwing it to first where a lunging Freeman caught it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2026
But some physicians say the tech isn’t ready to replace human judgment and companies are lunging into medical AI services.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
With the game still scoreless in the 29th minute, Romero -- who has been vocal in his criticism of Tottenham's owners lately -- was dismissed after lunging in to catch Casemiro on the ankle.
From Barron's ● Feb. 7, 2026
Jumping or lunging at Williams is futile, Verse said, because “he’s very able to get away from anything you bring to him.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2026
Flea, the bassist, was phenomenal, and the front man, Anthony Kiedis, was a cyclone, lunging and pacing and whirling in every direction, belting out the lyrics.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
An African bullfrog lunges for a babul butterfly but misses.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Doing deep squats or lunges with poor form can put unnecessary strain on your knee joint.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
It could involve kettle bells, dumbbells, walking lunges, pull ups, squatting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 5, 2026
Lagree added hand weights and incorporated compound gym movements like push-ups, squats, lunges and planks on the Reformer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2025
It lets out an earthshaking roar, then lunges toward the closest player.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
