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to nosedive

to nosedive

4 5.8
To fall quickly and steeply, like a plane or stocks
  • verb
  • /ˈnoʊsˌdaɪv/
translation icon : precipitarse
  • Reports said that the pilot failed to apply his brakes on the runway at the Congonhas-Sao Paulo Airport, shooting off the end and nosediving the plane onto a hillside with the engines still running.
  • stock nosedived
  • prices nosedived
  • economy nosedived

Examples

  • Without enough fuel, the jet had no choice but to nosedive toward the ocean.

  • The plane's gonna nosedive in the Pacific as soon as it runs out of gas.

  • The error meant that the separation of the rocket's second and third stages did not occur, denying the satellite the final boost it needed to reach orbit and causing it to nosedive into the sea.

    Blog text (34)
  • The aircraft began to nosedive when the pilot lost control.

  • As the storm approached, the helicopter suddenly nosedived into the valley below.

Synonyms

to fall
vsto nosedive
1.0

Move or drop down from a higher to a lower place

is a sharp front-first drop rather than a broad general downward movement
to plummet
vsto nosedive
93 5.8

Fall suddenly and steeply from a high place or in amount

is a sudden front-first descent rather than a general steep drop
to plunge
vsto nosedive
83 3.8

To fall or drop suddenly from a higher to a lower place

is led front-first and describes aircraft-style rapid downward angle
to drop down
vsto nosedive
34 1.8

To fall from a higher place to a lower place

is a sharp front-first plunge rather than a gradual lowering or move down
to hurtle down
vsto nosedive
2 6.7

Move quickly and without control down a hill or road

is a rapid front-first drop but not necessarily uncontrolled motion
to sink like a stone
vsto nosedive
  • Informal
2 6.7

Fall or fail very quickly and completely

is a sharp front-first plunge rather than necessarily total loss of resistance
to crash-dive
vsto nosedive
  • Specialized
8.1

To go down very steeply and quickly, often for a plane or submarine

is a sudden front-first plunge emphasizing the front leading the drop
dropping
vsto nosedive
1.1

A thing that falls down freely because of gravity

is a steep sudden front-first descent rather than general falling

Antonyms

54 4.0

To move upward to a higher place, for example up a hill or into the sky

How Fast

to plummet
93 5.8
to nosedive
4 5.8
to plunge
83 3.8
to descend
150 2.7

Surface Forms

nosedive infinitive
nosediving present participle
nosedives third person singular
nosedove past
nosedived past participle

Etymology

Nosedive joins nose ('front') and dive ('to fall quickly'), giving the picture of a head-first drop, so to nosedive is to fall or drop sharply, whether an aircraft, confidence, or prices.