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)
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plummeted,
past participle, past
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plummeting
present participle
verb
noun
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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
-
plummetsimple
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plummetssimple
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have plummetedperfect
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has plummetedperfect
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am plummetingprogressive
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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:
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, when the jokes get stale, and studios demand some kind of emotional stakes.
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
But it is having a devastating effect on rural junior schools - and Kaliluni Primary is one of more than 2,000 across the East African nation now facing possible closure as enrolment numbers plummet.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
All hope that this was merely an anomaly disappeared the next day, when the forces that had been battering the nation’s economy erupted in a panic on Wall Street that caused stock prices to plummet.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
If we look at matches against modern-day heavyweights Australia and India, Root plummets down the list even further - down in 10th, with twice as many losses as wins.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 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
Indeed, once m’lord activates Infinity Mode, range plummets below 200 miles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026
But the questions the film confronts the viewer with, and the depths of American darkness it plummets to, are brash and critical.
From Salon ● Apr. 3, 2026
My heart leaps and then plummets when I see Molly hobble across the dormitory, her nose purple between strips of medical tape.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
According to an annual government report, the number of wiretaps obtained by DHS — often to investigate drug trafficking — plummeted to 23 in 2025, from 133 the previous year.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
This past week alone, Chief Executive Elon Musk watched as its shares plummeted almost 14% in one day—which wasn’t even the worst performance in SpaceX’s short tenure as a publicly traded company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
His ratings plummeted further with a number of big-name players leaving on free transfers, including England duo Alessia Russo and Mary Earps, as well as Batlle.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Public support for a total ban on handguns in the home had plummeted.
From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026
Two bosslings and a hullbeast thundered up the street, and my heart plummeted.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
Each attempt went bust when global economic downturns cratered the semiconductor market and sent chip prices plummeting.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026
Beijing, as we see, has put itself in the social-engineering business again, trying to hike its plummeting population numbers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
And later: why Bitcoin’s plummeting price is costing Eric Trump hundreds of million of dollars.
From Slate ● Jul. 11, 2026
Two pit stops followed in quick succession, plummeting the Italian down the field.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
Down went the robot, plummeting into the treetops below.
From "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown
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.
