plummet

IPA/ˈplʌmɪt/
KK[plˈʌmət]IPA/ˈplʌmɪt/

plummet — verb

  • plummetpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • plummetshe / she / it
  • plummetedpast simple
  • plummeting-ing form

1. to move downward extremely fast, or to go down by a large amount in a short time

1.verbintransitiveC1
Definition

to move downward extremely fast, or to go down by a large amount in a short time.

Example

Oil prices plummeted after the pipeline closed for a week.

common subject: prices plummet

The small plane plummeted toward the field before the pilot recovered.

physical fall: plummet toward the ground

Common collocations
  • share prices plummet
  • sales plummet
  • temperatures plummet
  • plummet from one level to another
  • plummet by ten percent
Synonyms
  • plunge

    often suggests a sudden deep fall, and can also describe jumping into water

  • tumble

    can suggest falling with turning or losing balance, especially for people or objects

  • nosedive

    more vivid and often informal, especially for planes or dramatic declines

  • drop

    the broad neutral verb, with less dramatic force than plummet

Antonyms
  • rise

    a general opposite for numbers, prices, and levels going upward

  • climb

    often used for a steady increase rather than a sharp one

  • soar

    suggests a very fast or dramatic upward movement

Grammar Patterns

prices plummet

plummet from ... to ...

plummet by ...

plummet toward the ground

Usage Note

Subject is often a number-based thing such as prices, sales, temperature, or support. The verb is usually intransitive, so English normally says something plummets, not that someone plummets it.

Common Mistakes

The bad news plummeted the share price.
The share price plummeted after the bad news.
plummet is usually intransitive.
Sales plummeted down last month.
Sales plummeted last month.
plummet already includes the idea of downward movement.

plummet — noun

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

For this sense, plummet is one of the strongest common verbs for a very fast downward movement or decline. It often appears with prices, sales, temperatures, and support in news writing. Plunge is close, but it can also suggest a deliberate jump or a sudden move into water or darkness. Tumble often adds a feeling of losing control or turning as something falls. Nosedive is vivid and slightly informal, especially for planes or sudden business declines. Drop is the broad neutral choice and sounds much less dramatic. So a reporter might write, 'Shares plummeted after the warning,' while a parent might say, 'The toy tumbled down the stairs.'

plummet ↗plunge ↗tumble ↗nosedive ↗drop ↗

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Plummet first named the weight used on a plumb line by builders. That noun came into English through Old French from a Latin word for lead, because the tool was often made of lead. Later, English extended the noun into a verb: if something moved down like that hanging weight, it could be said to plummet.