lunge

[ luhnj ]

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.

Origin of lunge

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

Other words for lunge

2	rush, charge, lurch

See synonyms for lunge on Thesaurus.com

Words that may be confused with lunge

long, longe, lounge, lunge

Other definitions for lunge (2 of 2)

lunge²

[ luhnj ]

noun, verb,lunged, lung·ing.

longe.

Origin of lunge

Variant of longe<French; see longe, lune²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use lunge in a sentence

Quad-intensive, a telemark turn is somewhere between a curtsy and a lunge.
Small ski areas, big impact | Dina Mishev | February 5, 2021 | Washington Post
Take a large step backward and rapidly lower into a reverse lunge until your front thigh is parallel to the floor and your back knee hovers just above the ground, then explosively jump as high as you can.
How to Train Power for the Lower Body | Hayden Carpenter | January 27, 2021 | Outside Online
During the exhausting 1992 campaign I was asked if Clinton got tired of the crowds: their neediness, their wide-eyed lunging.
Paul Begala on Why Bill Clinton’s Still Got the Magic | Paul Begala | October 10, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Its teeth are now pointing toward my throat, and lunging straight at me.
How to Catch a Giant Python | Catharine Skipp | February 28, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
To save his faithful servant Frank wheeled Nejdi, and cut down a native who was lunging at Chumru with a bayonet.
The Red Year | Louis Tracy

The Esperanza tore onward, lunging violently, and shaking as though she dreaded the grip of some savage pursuer.
The Chequers | James Runciman
Mayo accosted the captain when that fuming gentleman came lunging along the sidewalk.
Blow The Man Down | Holman Day
"It's a scalp, lieutenant," shouted the foremost sergeant as he came lunging up to join his chief.
Warrior Gap | Charles King
I heard the shouts of Cudjo, and I could see the blade of his long spear lunging down a intervals among the dark bodies below.
The Desert Home | Mayne Reid

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

Origin of 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

Derived forms of lunge

lunger, noun

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

Origin of 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

Browse