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.
lunged; lunging
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)
: 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
Alyssa Ages, Outside Online, 28 Feb. 2025
Dead lifts, lunges, planks, presses, pull-ups and push-ups require many muscles that elevate oxygen use and the release of hormones such as adrenaline that increase blood flow to muscles and boost overall heart rate — both key goals.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 25 Feb. 2025
Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 Feb. 2025
Fatty was coincidentally discussing how snapping turtles bite when the one in his hand lunged with amazing speed and clamped down on his index finger.
—Mark Price, Orlando Sentinel, 31 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lunge
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Noun
Place your right foot on the step and your left knee on the ground so your legs are both forming 90-degree angles, as in a deep lunge.
—Alyssa Ages, Outside Online, 28 Feb. 2025
Dead lifts, lunges, planks, presses, pull-ups and push-ups require many muscles that elevate oxygen use and the release of hormones such as adrenaline that increase blood flow to muscles and boost overall heart rate — both key goals.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 25 Feb. 2025
Verb
Conscientiously addressing a national crisis of domestic abuse while also lunging for the heartstrings, the film is an uneven balance of grainy social realism and crowd-pleasing uplift, but Cruz’s resolute performance just about holds it together.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 Feb. 2025
Fatty was coincidentally discussing how snapping turtles bite when the one in his hand lunged with amazing speed and clamped down on his index finger.
—Mark Price, Orlando Sentinel, 31 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lunge
Cite this Entry
“Lunge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lunge. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lunge
1 of 2 noun1
: 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)
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