plummet
Americannoun
-
plummets
plural
-
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.
-
something that weighs down or depresses.
verb (used without object)
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plummets,
present (3rd person singular)
-
plummeted,
past participle, past
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plummeting
present participle
verb
noun
-
another word for plumb bob
-
a lead plumb used by anglers to determine the depth of water
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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plummetsimple
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plummetssimple
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have plummetedperfect
-
has plummetedperfect
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am plummetingprogressive
-
are plummetingprogressive
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is plummetingprogressive
-
have been plummetingperfect progressive
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has been plummetingperfect progressive
Past
-
plummetedsimple
-
had plummetedperfect
-
was plummetingprogressive
-
were plummetingprogressive
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had been plummetingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of plummet
1350–1400; (noun) Middle English plommet < Middle French, diminutive of plomb lead; (v.) derivative of the noun See plumb, -et
Explanation
The verb plummet means "to drop sharply," like eagles that plummet toward earth, seeking prey, or school attendance that plummets when there is a flu outbreak. To correctly pronounce plummet, say "PLUH-met." This verb describes something that drops sharply or quickly, like a roller coaster that plummets down a hill, temperatures that plummet overnight, or sales of roses and candy that plummet after Valentine's Day. If something plummets, this doesn't mean it will stay down or low forever, just that it has experienced a sharp drop.
Vocabulary lists containing plummet
List 8
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The Lightning Thief
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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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.
See Examples For:
Like something from King Arthur, a 200-year-old sword was found sticking out from a castle's lake after hot weather caused water levels to plummet.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
As exports plummet owing to a ban on U.S. wine and liquor, California lawmakers ask Quebec’s premier to sidestep the president, lift the prohibition and promote free trade.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
Most comedies plummet halfway through their second act.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
Your core temperature continues to plummet because the chilled blood from your extremities returns to your heart.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
The plummet, he recalled, sick with sudden memory.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Productivity plummets when workers without AC suffer from heat stress.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
Trade Desk plummets on weaker-than-expected first-quarter earnings and weak revenue guidance.
From Barron's ● May 8, 2026
She doesn’t need the imprimatur of an established brand to maintain an audience; as trust in institutions plummets, such affiliations can even be a turnoff.
From Slate ● May 6, 2026
Scientists warn that as humans move more activities off-Earth, more debris will fall to Earth, polluting as it plummets.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2026
He manages to seize the edge of an isle before he plummets to the lagoon below.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
He was twice rushed to the hospital after his throat closed, he couldn’t breathe and his blood pressure plummeted — a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
Stocks plummeted after word leaked that speculator Jay Gould, who was trying to corner the gold market, had sold his stake in the metal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Ticket prices for the tour plummeted as well.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
In March 2000, as the bubble burst, shares of companies in the business of transmitting data, or networking, plummeted too.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
Together they plummeted like a stone, down, down, down toward the rising ground.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
The Philippines has struggled to restore routine childhood immunisation rates after years of plummeting coverage, which contributed to a polio resurgence in 2019 and recurring measles outbreaks.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Smartphone and PC shipments are plummeting, but Apple and Dell are expected to keep revenue climbing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Long-standing Olvera Street businesses are grappling with low foot traffic, plummeting sales and falling behind on rent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Scottish Conservative MP Andrew Bowie said "plummeting teacher numbers and spiralling levels of school violence" had made it a difficult year for pupils.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
She was scared of tiny spiders, but not of plummeting to her death from a set of monkey bars.
From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan
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.
