plunge

plunge vb Plunge, dive, pitch are comparable when they mean to throw or cast oneself or to be thrown or cast forward or downward with force or impetuosity into or as if into deep water.

Plunge carries a more obvious implication than the others of the force with which one throws oneself or is thrown, but it does not always suggest a penetration of deep water; it may imply entrance into any penetrable medium, especially one that suggests a being lost to view, or into a state or condition in which one is overwhelmed or immersed, or into a course which marks a deep descent, a complete change, or a distinct involvement

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plunge bodily into the water after a forty-foot drop— Forester

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we are plunged once more into the war of nerves— Times Lit. Sup.

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he plunged into the crowd and was soon lost to view

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the singer drew breath and plunged into a new stanza— Henri

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Dive, though it implies an action very similar to that indicated by plunge, usually suggests deliberation or, at least, consciousness of an aim, more skill in execution, and less heaviness and more grace; thus, "he dived into the sea" usually implies intent where "he plunged headlong into the sea" may suggest either intent, accident, or impulsion by some force

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the gulls dive into the water for pieces of food

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an enormous water rat dived down from the bank— Powys

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"Clear out!" He raised his stick as he spoke. Katy shrieked, dived past him, and ran— Deland

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why not let a countable number of particles dive into it, and then weigh the tube?— Darrow

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she dove into the red pocket- book and, burrowing among the debris, came up at last with what she was after— Helen Howe

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Pitch (see also THROW) is often used instead of plunge to imply a falling forward and downward usually without intent or design

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he pitched headlong over the cliff

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he tripped on a root and pitched forward on his face

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my anxiety to own the ducks caused me to pitch into the water with all my clothes on— Wister

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The term also is often used in reference to the alternate forward and backward plunging of a ship in a storm as distinguished from rolling or tossing from side to side

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the passengers found the pitching of the ship more disquieting than the rolling

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the sea was rough and my heart pitched with the small motorboat— J. W. Brown

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Analogous words: submerge, immerse, *dip: *throw, cast, fling, hurl: *push, thrust, shove, propel