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lunge

1
[ luhnj ]
/ lʌndʒ /
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See synonyms for: lunge / lunged / lunging on Thesaurus.com
noun
a sudden forward thrust, as with a sword or knife; stab.
any sudden forward movement; plunge.
verb (used without object), lunged, lung·ing.
to make a lunge or thrust; move with a lunge.
verb (used with object), lunged, lung·ing.
to thrust (something) forward; cause to move with a lunge: lunging his finger accusingly.
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Origin of lunge

1
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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH lunge

long, longe, lounge, lunge

Other definitions for lunge (2 of 2)

lunge2
[ luhnj ]
/ lʌndʒ /
noun, verb, lunged, lung·ing.
longe.

Origin of lunge

2
Variant of longe<French; see longe, lune2
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to lunge

bound, leap, lurch, poke, stab, thrust, charge, cut, jab, jump, pass, spring, swing, swipe, burst, dash, drive, hit, pitch, plunge

How to use lunge in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lunge (1 of 2)

lunge1
/ (lʌndʒ) /
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

Derived forms of lunge

lunger, noun

Word Origin for lunge

C18: shortened form of obsolete C17 allonge, from French allonger to stretch out (one's arm), from Late Latin ēlongāre to lengthen. Compare elongate

British Dictionary definitions for lunge (2 of 2)

lunge2
/ (lʌndʒ) /
noun
a rope used in training or exercising a horse
verb
(tr) to exercise or train (a horse) on a lunge

Word Origin for lunge

C17: from Old French longe, shortened from allonge, ultimately from Latin longus long 1; related to lunge 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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