nosedive

noun

nose·​dive ˈnōz-ˌdīv 

1

: a downward nose-first plunge of a flying object (such as an airplane)

2

: a sudden extreme drop

stock prices took a nosedive

nose-dive intransitive verb

Synonyms of nosedive

• drop
• dip
• decline
• plunge
• descent
• fall

Examples of nosedive in a Sentence

The plane went into a nosedive.

The stock market took a nosedive.

Recent Examples on the Web

But with the regular season coming to a close, and an offseason promising a large payday for a man on a veteran minimum contract, Melton’s form has taken a nosedive. —Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 30 Mar. 2026

From fifth in the table at the end of November, a winter nosedive featuring one league win in 13 matches dropped his team to 14th in February. —Andy Naylor, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2026

Although Wijk kept releasing music, including the mixtape Folktales in 2022, his fortunes took a nosedive. —Sam Davies, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2026

Relations between Hungary and fellow EU members, strained since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, took a nosedive this month after Orbán backtracked on an agreement to provide Kyiv with a 90-billion euro ($104 billion) loan. —ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1912, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for nosedive

• overdrive
• alive
• archive
• arrive
• beehive
• connive
• contrive
• deprive
• derive
• revive
• survive
• dive

Kids Definition

nosedive

1 of 2 noun

nose·​dive ˈnōz-ˌdīv 

1

: a downward nose-first plunge (as of an airplane)

2

: a sudden extreme drop (as in prices)

nose-dive

2 of 2 verb

nose-dived; nose-diving

: to plunge suddenly or sharply