nosedive

American  

[nohz-dahyv] / ˈnoʊzˌdaɪv /

noun

1. a plunge of an aircraft with the forward part pointing downward.

2. a sudden sharp drop or rapid decline.

   a time when market values were in a nosedive.

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verb (used without object)

nosedived, nosedove, nosedived, nosediving

1. to go into a nosedive.

   a warning that prices might nosedive.

Etymology

Origin of nosedive

First recorded in 1910–15; nose + dive

Example Sentences

“They took this nosedive, and it seemed inexplicable,” she says.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

Somewhere over the winter, as defeats piled up and Spurs tumbled down the standings, they had entered a catastrophic nosedive.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

Elite LIV Golf players have seen their world rankings nosedive, complicating their ability to qualify for golf's four major championships, whose fields are largely determined by rankings.

From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026

The number of new jobs created this year has taken a nosedive, and the unemployment rate has crept up to a four-year high of 4.6%.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 23, 2025

Behind me, I heard a buzzing sound, like a two- hundred-pound hummingbird in a nosedive.

From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan