plunge
[verb]
Synonyms:
- throw, cast, pitch
- hurtle, career, charge, dash, jump, rush, tear
- descend, dip, dive, drop, fall, nose-dive, plummet, sink, tumble
[noun]
Synonyms:
- dive, descent, drop, fall, jump

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Contrasted words: ease, glide, slide, slip
Related Idioms: plunge headlong, take a plunge, drop like a rock, take a downward plunge
Related Words: dip, immerse, submerge, plump, plunk, propel, push, shove, thrust, boil, charge, fling, rush, tear

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English Thesaurus: decrease, go down, decline, diminish, fall/drop, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. plunge¹ /plʌndʒ/ verb
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: plongier, from Vulgar Latin plumbicare, from Latin plumbum 'lead']

1. [I, T always + adv/prep] to move, fall, or be thrown suddenly forwards or downwards
plunge off/into etc
Her car swerved and plunged off the cliff.
Both the climbers had plunged to their deaths.

2. [intransitive] if a price, rate etc plunges, it suddenly decreases by a large amount:
The unemployment rate plunged sharply.
plunge to
Oil prices have plunged to a new low.
In the recession, the company’s profits plunged 60%.

3. [intransitive] literary if a ship plunges, it moves violently up and down because of big waves
plunge in (also plunge into something) phrasal verb

1. to start talking or doing something quickly and confidently, especially without thinking about it first:
It’s a difficult situation. You can’t just plunge in and put everything right.
‘I don’t agree,’ she said, plunging into the conversation.

2. to jump or dive into water:
He stripped off and plunged into the sea.

3. plunge something ↔ in (also plunge something into something) to push something firmly and deeply into something else:
He opened the bag and plunged his hand in.
Plunge the pasta into boiling water.
Repeatedly she plunged the knife into his chest.
plunge (somebody/something) into something phrasal verb
to suddenly experience a difficult or unpleasant situation, or to make someone or something do this:
A strike would plunge the country into chaos.
The house was suddenly plunged into darkness.
After the war, the family plunged into debt.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. plunge² noun

1. take the plunge to decide to do something important or risky, especially after thinking about it for a long time:
We took the plunge and set up our own business.

2. [countable] a sudden large decrease in the price, value etc of something
plunge in
a dramatic plunge in house prices

3. [countable usually singular] a sudden movement down or forwards:
The plane began a headlong plunge towards the Earth.

4. [countable usually singular] when someone suddenly becomes involved in something new
plunge into
his sudden plunge into marriage

5. [countable usually singular] a jump or dive into water, or a quick swim
plunge in/into
a quick plunge in the lake

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

plunge
noun
ADJ. headlong | cold Bathers would go straight from the hot room to take a cold plunge.
VERB + PLUNGE take The river takes a headlong plunge into a maelstrom of rocks and boulders. (figurative) He finally took the plunge and gave in his notice.
PREP. ~ into a plunge into the icy water
~ to a plunge to the ground

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

plunge
verb
ADV. downwards, forward, head first, headlong The car plunged headlong into the river.
in The pool was declared open and eager swimmers plunged in.
PREP. down The bus came off the road and plunged down an embankment.
from He plunged from a tenth floor window.
into (often figurative) She plunged straight into her story.
off The car had plunged off the road.
PHRASES plunge to your death A climber plunged 300 feet to his death.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

decrease to become less in number or amount:
The average rainfall has decreased by around 30 percent.
go down to decrease. Go down is less formal than decrease and is the usual word to use in conversation:
Unemployment has gone down in the past few months.
decline formal to decrease – used with numbers or amounts, or about the level or standard of something:
The standard of living has declined.
Support for the government is steadily declining.
Salaries have declined by around 4.5%.
diminish to become smaller or less important:
Union membership diminished from 30,000 at its height to just 2,000 today.
fall/drop to decrease, especially by a large amount. Fall and drop are less formal than decrease:
The number of tigers in the wild has fallen to just over 10,000.
At night, the temperature drops to minus 20 degrees.
plunge /plʌndʒ/
plummet /ˈplʌmət, ˈplʌmɪt/ to suddenly decrease very quickly and by a very large amount:
Share prices have plummeted 29% in the last four months.
Climate change could cause global temperatures to plummet.
slide if a price or value slides, it gradually decreases in a way that causes problems – used especially in news reports:
The dollar fell in late trading in New York yesterday and slid further this morning.
dwindle /ˈdwɪndl/ to gradually decrease until there is very little left of something, especially numbers or amounts, popularity, or importance:
Support for the theory is dwindling.
taper off /ˈteɪpə $ -ər/ if a number or the amount of an activity that is happening tapers off, it gradually decreases, especially so that it stops completely:
Political violence tapered off after the elections.
reduction used when the price, amount, or level of something is made lower:
There will be further price reductions in the sales.
A small reduction in costs can mean a large increase in profits.
cut used when a government or company reduces the price, amount, or level of something:
a 1% cut in interest rates
tax cuts
It is possible that there will be further job cuts.
drop/fall used when the number, amount, or level of something goes down, especially by a large amount:
The figures showed a sharp fall in industrial output.
There was a dramatic drop in temperature.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

put to move something to a particular place:
I’ve put the wine in the fridge.
Where have you put my grey shirt?
place to put something somewhere carefully:
‘It’s beautiful,’ he said, placing it back on the shelf.
lay to put someone or something down carefully on a flat surface:
He laid all the money on the table.
She laid the baby on his bed.
position to carefully put something in a suitable position:
Position the microphone to suit your height.
Troops were positioned around the city.
slip to put something somewhere with a quick movement:
He slipped his arm around her waist.
Carrie quickly slipped the money into her bag.
shove to put something into a space or container quickly or carelessly:
Shove anything you don’t want in that sack.
I’ve ironed those shirts so don’t just shove them in a drawer.
stick (also bung British English) informal to put something somewhere quickly or carelessly:
I stuck the address in my pocket and I can’t find it now.
Could you bung those clothes in the washing machine?
dump to put something down somewhere in a careless and untidy way:
Don’t just dump all your bags in the kitchen.
People shouldn’t dump rubbish at the side of the street.
pop informal to quickly put something somewhere, usually for a short time:
Pop it in the microwave for a minute.
thrust literary to put something somewhere suddenly or forcefully:
‘Hide it,’ he said, thrusting the watch into her hand.
dip to put something into a liquid for a very short time and take it out again:
She dipped her hand in the water to see how hot it was.
Prawns are delicious dipped in a spicy sauce.
plunge to put something quickly, firmly, and deeply into a liquid:
Plunge the pasta into a pan of boiling water.
I had to plunge my arm in up to the elbow to reach the keys.
dunk to put something such as a piece of bread or cake into a hot drink or soup before eating it:
I love biscuits dunked in coffee.
immerse to put something deep into a liquid so that it is completely covered:
If the plant’s leaves look dry, immerse the roots in water for a while.
put forward a proposal/suggestion
She put forward a compromise proposal.
put forward a plan/scheme
Both parties have put forward plans for political reform.
put forward an idea
In 1829 he put forward the idea that the Earth is contracting.
put forward a theory/hypothesis
Many theories have been put forward as to the building’s original purpose.
put forward a view
We should encourage individuals to put forward their views.
put forward an argument
He rejected the arguments put forward by the company’s lawyers.
put forward a reason/explanation
A variety of reasons have been put forward to explain these changes.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲