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
Malissa Rodenburg, Health, 15 May 2026
Anunoby lunges from the corner to hamper Maxey’s drive to the hoop, and Bridges slides off Embiid to close off Maxey’s other side.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Stephen King, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026
In no time more than a dozen dragons were lunging up at the carcasses, tearing off chunks and lashing out at competing toothy mouths around them.
—Craig Stanford, Big Think, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for lunge
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Noun
This might look like doing lunges while taking a work break or chair dips while dinner is cooking.
—Malissa Rodenburg, Health, 15 May 2026
Anunoby lunges from the corner to hamper Maxey’s drive to the hoop, and Bridges slides off Embiid to close off Maxey’s other side.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Verb
Morris lunged for it and missed.
—Stephen King, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026
In no time more than a dozen dragons were lunging up at the carcasses, tearing off chunks and lashing out at competing toothy mouths around them.
—Craig Stanford, Big Think, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for lunge
Cite this Entry
“Lunge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lunge. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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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