Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
💼 To drop heavily 🪑 To sit suddenly
to plump down

to plump down

6.0
To sit down suddenly in a heavy, relaxed way
  • phrasal verb
  • /plʌmp daʊn/
  • UK
translation icon : sentarse de golpe
  • The children plumped down on the grass, exhausted after playing all afternoon.

Examples

  • After a long day at work, he just plumped down on the sofa and sighed.

  • We all plumped down without being asked.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Feeling tired, she plumped down in her chair and closed her eyes for a moment.

Synonyms

to slump
vsto plump down
55 4.0

To sit down or fall forward suddenly and heavily

is more about a relaxed careless sit rather than a drooping posture
to flop
vsto plump down
26 2.3

To fall or sit down heavily and suddenly because you are tired

is more about sudden careless dropping rather than general tiredness
to plunk
vsto plump down
12 6.0

To put down something or sit down heavily so it makes a loud sound

is used for relaxed or careless sitting rather than loud emphasis
to plop
vsto plump down
12 3.6

To sit or place something down suddenly with a soft sound

focuses more on relaxed careless sitting than on soft sound
to plunk down
vsto plump down
  • Informal
6 6.7

To put something down so it makes a noise or to pay money quickly

is more about a relaxed or casual sit rather than abruptness
to plump
vsto plump down
1 4.1

To sit or drop down heavily and suddenly

is used for sitting or dropping in a relaxed careless way
to plonk down
vsto plump down
  • UK
1 7.6

Sit or put something down heavily and carelessly

is more relaxed and neutral rather than mainly careless
to plank
vsto plump down
1 7.2

To drop something or yourself down heavily, often making a noise

applies more to sitting in a relaxed careless way than abrupt dropping
to flump down
vsto plump down
  • Informal
7.5

To sit or fall down suddenly and heavily, often because you are tired

is similar but less focused on tiredness, more neutral in tone
to flump
vsto plump down
  • Informal
8.8

To fall or put something down heavily so it makes a dull sound

is more about relaxed, careless sitting than specifically sound quality
to land on one's tush
vsto plump down
  • Baby Talk
9.3

To fall or sit down suddenly and hit your bottom

focuses on casual or relaxed sitting rather than accidental buttocks landing

Antonyms

to stand
∞ 1.0

To be or put something in an upright position

to rise
718 1.0

To move upward into the air, like smoke or mist

How Heavy

to collapse
579 3.9
to flop
26 2.3
to plump down
  • UK
6.0
to plop
12 3.6
to sit down
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

plump down infinitive
plumped down past
plumped down past participle
plumping down present participle
plumps down third person singular

Morphology

plump + down

The sense 'to sit or drop heavily or suddenly' is directly derivable from combining 'plump' (to drop or set oneself down with force) with the directional particle 'down', which reinforces movement to a lower position. This straightforward motion+direction composition is a common, cross-linguistic pattern in English phrasal verbs, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

Plump down comes from the same picture: plump is the soft, heavy sound and down shows movement to a lower place. Imagine sinking into a sofa with a little thump. That's why it also means 'to sit or drop heavily, often in a relaxed or careless way'.