Meaning of “plunge” in the English Dictionary

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"plunge" in English

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plungeverb

uk ​ /plʌndʒ/ us ​ /plʌndʒ/

plunge verb (FALL)

C2 [ I or T, usually + adv/prep ] to (cause someone or something to) move or fall suddenly and often a long way forward, down, or into something:

We ran down to the beach and plunged into the sea.
The car went out of control and plunged over the cliff.
Cook the peas by plunging them into boiling water.
Niagara Falls plunges 55.5 metres.

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Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Phrasal verb(s)

plunge in/plunge into sth
plunge (sb/sth) into sth

plungenoun [ C ]

uk ​ /plʌndʒ/ us ​ /plʌndʒ/

plunge noun [ C ] (MOVEMENT)

› a sudden movement or fall forward, down, or into something:

I really enjoyed my plunge (= jumping in and swimming) in the pool.

Idiom(s)

take the plunge

(Definition of “plunge” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"plunge" in American English

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plungeverb [ I/T ]

us ​ /plʌndʒ/

› to move or fall suddenly forward, down, or into something:

[ I ] Her car plunged off the cliff.
[ I ] He plunged into the crowd, smiling and shaking hands.
[ T always + adv/prep ] She suddenly plunged the knife into the cake.

› If a value or price plunges, it suddenly becomes less:

[ I ] Rumors on Wall Street have caused stock prices to plunge.

› If a person or group plunges into an activity, or a place plunges into a condition, it suddenly experiences it:

[ I always + adv/prep ] The economy was in danger of plunging into a depression.
[ T always + adv/prep ] The storm cut power lines, plunging the town into darkness.

plungenoun [ C ]

us ​ /plʌndʒ/

› a sudden fall forward, down, or into something:

A tree broke his plunge downhill.
The rapid plunge of the stock market caused panic among investors.

(Definition of “plunge” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

"plunge" in Business English

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plungeverb [ I or T ]

uk ​ /plʌndʒ/ us ​

› to go down in amount or value very quickly and suddenly:

markets/sales plunge Car sales plunged in France in June.
plunge to sth Share prices plunged $16.74, or 44%, to $20.51 a share.
plunge by sth The Dow was 40 points ahead, having plunged by 60 points shortly after the opening bell.
plunge from sth Visitor numbers plunged from 25million in 2010 to 22.8million - but they are now recovering.

Phrasal verb(s)

plunge in/plunge into sth
plunge (sb/sth) into sth

plungenoun [ C ]

uk ​ /plʌndʒ/ us ​

› a sudden and large reduction in value or amount:

We are expecting a plunge in profits this year.
Profits are being affected by the plunge in the dollar against the euro.
a plunge in prices/sales The plunge in oil prices has driven fuel bills 12% lower.
take the plunge

› to make a decision to do something, especially after thinking about it for a long time:

Consumers who want to buy a home ought to take the plunge, rather than waiting for even lower mortgage rates.

(Definition of “plunge” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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