plummet
Americannoun
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Also called plumb bob. a piece of lead or some other weight attached to a line, used for determining perpendicularity, for sounding, etc.; the bob of a plumb line.
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something that weighs down or depresses.
verb (used without object)
verb
noun
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another word for plumb bob
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a lead plumb used by anglers to determine the depth of water
Other Word Forms
- unplummeted adjective
Etymology
Origin of plummet
1350–1400; (noun) Middle English plommet < Middle French, diminutive of plomb lead; (v.) derivative of the noun See plumb, -et
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.
And the share of homes sitting on the market for more than 120 days plummeted from 51% in the third quarter to 33%.
From MarketWatch
Scientists warn that as humans move more activities off-Earth, more debris will fall to Earth, polluting as it plummets.
From BBC
Shares fell 37%, a plunge that spoke to trying times in an industry that continues to see rising costs and plummeting consumer spending create a combo plate from hell.
From Los Angeles Times
Pressure had been mounting for Jerí to resign in the wake of the scandal as he faced a corruption investigation launched by the attorney general and his approval ratings plummeted.
From BBC
But shares of some of the companies making those giant investments have plummeted.
From Barron's
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.