lunge

1 of 2

noun

1
: a quick thrust or jab (as of a sword) usually made by leaning or striding forward
2
: a sudden forward rush or reach
made a lunge to catch the ball
3
: an exercise in which a person in a standing position steps forward into a position in which the front knee is deeply bent while keeping the torso erect and then returns back to the starting position
also : a similar exercise in which the initial movement is to the side rather than forward

Note: A lunge can be done while holding weights or without weights.

lunge

2 of 2

verb

lunged; lunging

intransitive verb

1
: to make a lunge : move with or as if with a lunge
2
: to perform a lunge exercise (see lunge entry 1 sense 3)

transitive verb

: to thrust or propel (something, such as a blow) in a lunge

Examples of lunge in a Sentence

Noun He made a lunge at me with his knife. He made a desperate lunge for the ball. Verb He lunged at me with his knife. She lunged across the table. The crocodile lunged at its prey. The dog lunged for his throat.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Use front, reverse, side or curtsy lunges, or all four. Amanda Loudin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Mar. 2024 Planks, push-ups, lunges, squats and pointers can all build strength, and regular stretching can cultivate flexibility. Danielle Friedman, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2024 Ironically, Favre didn't make the Pro Bowl in 1994, a year when his numbers took a lunge forward. Journal Sentinel, 16 Jan. 2024 Here's how to do the exercise: Place the flexibility band under your forward foot in a lunge position. Nicole Borgenicht, Health, 17 Nov. 2023 With the reverse lunge, the body is working through full range of motion in a unilateral position. Cori Ritchey, Men's Health, 1 Sep. 2023 Arti Kumari, 22, crouched on a dusty dirt track in a runner’s lunge, waiting to spring forward as soon as her mother started the clock. Shalini Venugopal Bhagat Andrea Bruce, New York Times, 4 Nov. 2023 Crescent Lunge Place one knee down on the ground and the other foot planted in front of you in a lunge. Alyssa Sparacino, Men's Health, 24 Aug. 2023 Each involved a lunge for dominance in a globally significant region. Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 26 Jan. 2024
Verb
Bost later lunged at him in the room, according to multiple witnesses. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2024 The images—white border agents in cowboy hats lunging toward Black migrants, including children—went viral. Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024 All three attacks took place just outside residents’ homes, with at least two of them happening on the homeowners’ porches — one when the predator lunged at the dog and grabbed it off the steps. Brooke Baitinger, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024 In arguing for either a retrial or a reduction of Whitaker’s conviction to voluntary manslaughter, defense attorney Matt Ferrara argued that Brown lunged at his client and Whitaker shot him in self-defense. City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Jan. 2024 Video clips aired on YTN television and social media showed the attack in which a man was seen lunging at Lee with his arm stretched out, followed by Lee grimacing and collapsing to the ground. Landon Mion, Fox News, 2 Jan. 2024 Then the big cat lunges forward and slams its sizable paws against the window with a thud. Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 31 Jan. 2024 The other boy drew a knife and lunged at the woman, according to a police account. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 27 Jan. 2024 Photos show the black and white predators lunging from the water as a seemingly minuscule dolphins leaps over them, barely evading their toothy jaws. Moira Ritter, Sacramento Bee, 26 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lunge.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

modification of French allonge extension, reach, from Old French alonge, from alongier to lengthen, from Vulgar Latin *allongare, from Latin ad- ad- + Late Latin longare, from Latin longus long

First Known Use

Noun

1748, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1772, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of lunge was in 1748

Dictionary Entries Near lunge

Cite this Entry

“Lunge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lunge. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

lunge

1 of 2 noun
1
: a sudden stretching thrust or pass (as with a sword)
2
: a sudden forward rush or reach

lunge

2 of 2 verb
lunged; lunging
1
: to move with or as if with a lunge
2
: to make a lunge (as with a sword)

More from Merriam-Webster on lunge

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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