Meaning & use
plummet
Last updated
Meanings
verbintransitive
To fall straight down very quickly from a height.
Grammar: No object, often with a direction: plummeted to the ground, plummeted from the cliff.
Patterns
- plummet to something
- plummet from something
- plummet into something
The climber's bag plummeted into the canyon.
The plane plummeted several thousand feet before the pilot regained control.
Rocks plummeted from the cliff after the storm.
verbintransitive
To drop suddenly and sharply in amount, value or level.
Grammar: No object; often followed by to or by plus a number: prices plummeted by thirty percent.
Patterns
- plummet to something
- plummet by something
Share prices plummeted after the company announced a loss.
Temperatures plummeted overnight to well below freezing.
Her confidence plummeted when she saw the exam results.
Word forms
| third person singular | plummets |
|---|---|
| past tense | plummeted |
| past participle | plummeted |
| -ing form | plummeting |
Common combinations
- prices plummet
- Prices plummeted when supply increased.
- plummet to the ground
- The kite plummeted to the ground.
- temperatures plummet
- Temperatures plummet at night in the desert.
- plummet in value
- The currency plummeted in value.
- popularity plummets
- The mayor's popularity plummeted after the scandal.
Synonyms and how they differ
- plunge
- Plunge is very close, but it can also mean jumping or pushing into something, while plummet is only about falling or dropping.
- tumble
- Tumble suggests falling in an uneven or awkward way and is often used for prices, while plummet suggests a straight, steep drop.
- crash
- Crash suggests a collapse with a damaging end, such as markets, whereas plummet describes the fall itself.
- drop
- Drop is plain and neutral and can describe small falls, while plummet always implies a big, sudden fall.
Opposites
Word family
- plummeting adjective
- falling quickly, as in plummeting sales
- plummet noun
- a sudden steep fall, or an old word for a plumb weight
- plumb adjective
- exactly vertical
Commonly confused: plummet or plunge? plummet or plumb?
plummet vs plunge
Plunge can also be used for jumping into water on purpose and can take an object. Plummet never takes an object.
plummet vs plumb
Plumb means exactly vertical or, as a verb, to measure depth or explore. It is related to plummet, but it does not mean to fall.
Practice
After the factory closed, house prices in the town ___.
Choose one answer.
Plummeted means dropped sharply, which fits a bad event like a factory closing. Rocketed and doubled mean the opposite, and steadied suggests little change.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “plummet”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.