plunge

[pluhnj]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR plunge ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), plunged, plung·ing.

to cast or thrust forcibly or suddenly into something, as a liquid, a penetrable substance, a place, etc.; immerse; submerge: to plunge a dagger into one's heart.

to bring suddenly or forcibly into some condition, situation, etc.: to plunge a country into war; to pull a switch and plunge a house into darkness.

Horticulture. to place (a potted plant) up to its rim in soil or in certain other materials, as sand or moss.

Surveying. to transit (the telescope of a transit or theodolite).

verb (used without object), plunged, plung·ing.

to cast oneself, or fall as if cast, into water, a hole, etc.

to rush or dash with headlong haste: to plunge through a crowd.

to bet or speculate recklessly: to plunge on the stock market.

to throw oneself impetuously or abruptly into some condition, situation, matter, etc.: to plunge into debt.

to descend abruptly or precipitously, as a cliff, road, etc.

to pitch violently forward, as a horse, ship, etc.

noun

act of plunging.

a leap or dive, as into water.

a headlong or impetuous rush or dash: a plunge into danger.

a sudden, violent pitching movement.

a place for plunging or diving, as a swimming pool.

Geology. pitch¹(def 45).

Idioms

take the plunge, to enter with sudden decision upon an unfamiliar course of action, as after hesitation or deliberation: She took the plunge and invested her entire savings in the plan.

Origin of plunge

1325–75; Middle English < Middle French plung(i)er ≪ Vulgar Latin *plumbicāre to heave the lead. See plumb

Related formsre·plunge, verb, re·plunged, re·plung·ing; nounun·plunged, adjective

Synonyms for plunge

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR plunge ON THESAURUS.COM

5. dive. 6. hasten. 9. drop.

Synonym study

1. See dip¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for plunged

plummet, hurtle, tumble, drop, drive, jump, sink, dip, throw, descend, nose-dive, propel, duck, dash, pitch, submerse, career, lurch, charge, swoop

Examples from the Web for plunged

Contemporary Examples of plunged

In Tuesday trading alone, it plunged by more than 20 percent against the U.S. dollar.
Putin Can’t Bully or Bomb a Recession
Daniel Gross
December 16, 2014
Meanwhile, marriage rates among high-school graduates have declined, and those among high-school dropouts have plunged.
The Real Enemy of Marital Bliss Are Those Most Opposed to Marriage Equality
Jay Michaelson
October 25, 2014
As the world from Ferguson to Syria plunged into chaos this summer, public opinion polls rolled in every week.
The Polls Are In: ISIS Is Outside Your Window
Jack Holmes
October 6, 2014
For Tolkien, the tale into which 1914 had plunged him never ended.
Why World War I Is at the Heart of ‘Lord of the Rings’
John Garth
July 29, 2014
Caracas was plunged into darkness in the middle of a televised speech by President Nicolas Maduro.
Who Will Maduro Blame for Venezuela’s Blackout This Time?
Daniel Lansberg-Rodríguez
June 28, 2014

Historical Examples of plunged

He, too, plunged into the sea, and Bunsby and the captain were left alone.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
Her brother's and sister's triumph upon the difficulties into which they have plunged her.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
He plunged into talk with the boys, making them answer questions.
Ester Ried Yet Speaking
Isabella Alden
Fretted by the pain, he plunged into the wilderness to hide like a wounded deer.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark
Ongyatasse at our head, we plunged into the river after them.
The Trail Book
Mary Austin

British Dictionary definitions for plunged

plunge

verb

(usually foll by into) to thrust or throw (something, oneself, etc)they plunged into the sea

to throw or be thrown into a certain state or conditionthe room was plunged into darkness

(usually foll by into) to involve or become involved deeply (in)he plunged himself into a course of Sanskrit

(intr) to move or dash violently or with great speed or impetuosity

(intr) to descend very suddenly or steeplythe ship plunged in heavy seas; a plunging neckline

(intr) informal to speculate or gamble recklessly, for high stakes, etc

noun

a leap or dive as into water

informal a swim; dip

mainly US a place where one can swim or dive, such as a swimming pool

a headlong rusha plunge for the exit

a pitching or tossing motion

take the plunge informal

to resolve to do something dangerous or irrevocable
to get married

Word Origin for plunge

C14: from Old French plongier, from Vulgar Latin plumbicāre (unattested) to sound with a plummet, from Latin plumbum lead

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for plunged

plunge

late 14c., "to put or thrust violently into," also intransitive, from Old French plongier "plunge, sink into; plunge into, dive in" (mid-12c., Modern French plonger), from Vulgar Latin *plumbicare "to heave the lead," from Latin plumbum "lead" (see plumb (n.)). Original notion perhaps is of a sounding lead or a fishing net weighted with lead. Related: Plunged; plunging. Plunging neckline attested from 1949.

plunge

c.1400, "deep pool," from plunge (v.). From late 15c. as "a sudden pitch forward;" meaning "act of plunging" is from 1711. Figurative use in take the plunge "commit oneself" is from 1845, from earlier noun sense of "point of being in trouble or danger" (1530s).

Idioms and Phrases with plunged

plunge

see take the plunge.