plummet

[pluhm-it]

noun

1. 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.

2. something that weighs down or depresses.

verb (used without object)

1. to plunge.

   Synonyms: swoop, drop, dive, fall

plummet

/ ˈplʌmɪt /

verb

1. (intr) to drop down; plunge

noun

1. another word for plumb bob

2. a lead plumb used by anglers to determine the depth of water

Other Word Forms

• unplummeted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of plummet¹

1350–1400; (noun) Middle English plommet < Middle French, diminutive of plomb lead; (v.) derivative of the noun See plumb, -et

Word History and Origins

Origin of plummet¹

C14: from Old French plommet ball of lead, from plomb lead, from Latin plumbum

Example Sentences

Consumer complaints of loud commercials plummeted after the law went into effect.

From Los Angeles Times

She said her mental health had plummeted after graduating and, after seeking advice from medical professionals, friends and family, she went for an assessment.

From BBC

Lurie has been in office less than a year, but already crime is plummeting and his approval rate has reached 73%.

From Los Angeles Times

Even though consumer complaints plummeted, the FCC said in recent years the commission had received thousands of complaints from viewers who remained “frustrated by the loudness of television commercials.”

From Los Angeles Times

At the same time that federal immigration enforcement ramped up across the Los Angeles area this summer, calls for help to local police plummeted.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• collapse 
• crash 
• decline 
• decrease 
• descend 
• dip 
• dive 
• drop 
• drop down www.thesaurus.com
• fall 
• nose-dive 
• plunge 
• sink 
• skid 
• tumble