plunge

verb
UK /plʌndʒ/ US /plʌndʒ/

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

The fall in demand caused share prices to plunge.
Our income has plunged dramatically.
The inevitable collapse of the credit boom plunged the economy into recession.

markets/sales plunge Car sales plunged in France in June.

Rumors on Wall Street have caused stock prices to plunge.

Thus, when the stock market plunged, bank capital ratios were also severely
affected.

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.

plunge noun [ C ] (REDUCTION)

a sudden and large fall in value or level:

We are expecting a plunge in profits this year.

The plunge in oil prices has driven fuel bills 12% lower.

Profits are being affected by the plunge in the dollar against the euro.

If a person or group plunges into an activity, or a place plunges into a

condition, it suddenly experiences
The economy was in danger of plunging into a depression.
The storm cut power lines, plunging the town into darkness.

From chapter 4 onwards, the author plunges into the analysis proper of the
principal characters of the poem.
The reader, in consequence, is plunged into the history region by region, to
alarming effect.

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.
The car skidded and plunged headlong over the cliff.
She drew a deep breath and plunged into the water.
The climbers had plunged to their deaths in the avalanche.
The lack of employment in this part of the country is causing house prices to
plunge.
Desperately needing to cool off, I plunged my hands into the cold water
and threw it over my face.

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.

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.