plummet

[ pluhm-it ]

noun

1. Also called plumb bob. a piece of lead or some other weight attached to a line, used for determining perpendicularity, for sounding, etc.; the bob of a plumb line.
2. something that weighs down or depresses.

verb (used without object)

1. to plunge.

   Synonyms: swoop, drop, dive, fall

plummet

/ ˈplʌmɪt /

verb

1. intr to drop down; plunge

noun

1. another word for plumb bob
2. a lead plumb used by anglers to determine the depth of water

Other Words From

• un·plummet·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of plummet¹

1350–1400; (noun) Middle English plommet < Middle French, diminutive of plomb lead; (v.) derivative of the noun See plumb, -et

Word History and Origins

Origin of plummet¹

C14: from Old French plommet ball of lead, from plomb lead, from Latin plumbum

Example Sentences

Rachel Springall, of Moneyfacts, said: "Savers are the ones who feel the force of cuts to interest rates. Those savers who use their interest to supplement their income will feel overlooked if rates plummet."

From BBC

It can translate to terminated deals, lost income, and a reputational plummet.

From Salon

Gideon Rabinowitz, from UK NGO network Bond, accused the government of making a "short-sighted decision" meaning "UK aid will plummet this year".

From BBC

"We were monitoring our pages and how they were ranking, and then we saw them all plummet almost immediately, " says Adam.

From BBC

Cooper has always been surrounded by folklore and local traditions, after growing up in rural Gloucestershire, famed for its ghost stories and annual cheese rolling competition that sees people plummet down the steep Cooper's Hill.

From BBC

Related Words

• collapse
• crash
• decline
• decrease
• descend
• dip
• dive
• drop
• drop down
• fall
• nose-dive
• plunge
• sink
• skid
• tumble