lunge

¹ American  

[luhnj] / lʌndʒ /

noun

1. a sudden forward thrust, as with a sword or knife; stab.

2. any sudden forward movement; plunge.

   Synonyms:

   lurch, charge, rush

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verb (used without object)

lunged, lunging

1. to make a lunge or thrust; move with a lunge.

verb (used with object)

lunged, lunging

1. to thrust (something) forward; cause to move with a lunge.

   lunging his finger accusingly.

lunge ² American  

[luhnj] / lʌndʒ /

noun

lunged, lunging

1. longe.

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lunge ¹ British  

/ lʌndʒ /

noun

1. a sudden forward motion

2. fencing a thrust made by advancing the front foot and straightening the back leg, extending the sword arm forwards

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verb

1. to move or cause to move with a lunge

2. (intr) fencing to make a lunge

lunge ² British  

/ lʌndʒ /

noun

1. a rope used in training or exercising a horse

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verb

1. (tr) to exercise or train (a horse) on a lunge

Other Word Forms

• lunger noun

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

Variant of longe < French; longe, lune ²

Example Sentences

Jonah’s now laying flat on the floor, giggling while Maverick dances and wiggles all around and over him, licking his face whenever he lunges in close.

From Literature

Clare lunged forward, his black paws pressed to the cold glass pane.

From Literature

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

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

Instead of lunging forward to protect us, J.W. backed into the weeds, growling and whining.

From Literature

Related Words

• bound
• leap
• lurch
• poke
• stab
• thrust