# plunge

/ˈpɫəndʒ/ (US) · /plˈʌndʒ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/plunge
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. to dive or jump

verb · CEFR B2

to jump or dive quickly into water or another liquid.

For teachers: to dive, leap, or rush headlong into a liquid substance.

- We decided to plunge into the cold lake even though it was raining.
- The children spent the entire afternoon watching the local divers plunge from the high cliffs into the turquoise waters below.

Usage: Often followed by the preposition 'into'.

### 2. to fall suddenly

verb · CEFR B2

to decrease or fall very quickly in value, temperature, or amount.

For teachers: to experience a sudden and significant decrease in value, rate, or quantity.

- Stock prices began to plunge after the company released its poor earnings report.
- Temperatures are expected to plunge overnight as a cold front moves across the northern plains.

Usage: Intransitive; frequently used in financial and meteorological contexts.

### 3. to thrust forcefully

verb · CEFR C1 · Literary

to push something quickly and forcefully into something else.

For teachers: to thrust or impel something into a penetrable substance or state with force.

- He plunged the shovel into the hard ground to start the garden.
- The chef plunged the tomatoes into boiling water for thirty seconds to loosen their skins before peeling them.

Usage: Transitive; requires a direct object.

### 4. to gamble recklessly

verb · CEFR C2 · Slang

to bet a lot of money in a risky way.

For teachers: to bet heavily and recklessly, especially in horse racing or high-stakes speculation.

- He decided to plunge his entire inheritance on a single horse race.
- After losing his initial stake, the gambler chose to plunge even further, hoping a single win would clear his mounting debts.

Teaching tip: This sense is specific to high-stakes gambling contexts and is less common in everyday conversation.

### 5. to clear a drain

verb · CEFR B2

to use a tool to push air or water through a pipe to clear a blockage.

For teachers: to remove a blockage from a pipe or drain using suction or pressure, typically with a plunger.

- You might need to plunge the kitchen sink if the water stops draining.
- The maintenance worker had to plunge the industrial drain several times before the obstruction finally cleared.

### 6. a sudden fall or dive

noun · CEFR B2

a quick jump into water or a sudden drop in something.

For teachers: an act of plunging; a sudden dive or a rapid decrease in value.

- The sudden plunge in temperatures caught many hikers without warm clothes.
- After months of hesitation, she finally took the plunge and quit her job to start her own business.

Teaching tip: The idiom 'take the plunge' means to decide to do something important or difficult that you have been thinking about for a long time.

## Examples

- The stock market began to plunge after the news broke.
- The swimmer took a deep breath and prepared to plunge into the icy lake for her morning exercise.
- Economists warned that if the central bank failed to intervene, the currency would continue to plunge against the dollar, destabilising the nation's import-dependent industries.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.