lunge
lunge Lexical Profile
lunge Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A sudden, forceful forward movement of the body, or a basic fencing attack in which the front leg steps rapidly forward while the back leg remains stationary.
"The goalkeeper made a desperate lunge to deflect the ball away from the corner of the net."
A strength and conditioning exercise in which a person steps forward with one leg and lowers the hips until both knees are bent at approximately a ninety-degree angle.
"She incorporated three sets of walking lunges into her lower-body workout routine."
A long rope or strap attached to a horse's halter or bridle, used by a trainer standing in the center to guide the horse in a circle.
"The equestrian trainer held the lunge steady as the young mare trotted in an even circle around the ring."
• verb
To make a sudden, forceful forward movement or reach, or to step forward while bending the front knee during physical exercise or fencing.
"The tennis player had to lunge across the court to return the sharp volley."
To exercise or train a horse by making it move in a circle around the handler at the end of a long rope.
"The groom decided to lunge the energetic stallion for fifteen minutes before the riding lesson began."
Word Nuance & Usage
Often confused with 'lounge' due to similar spelling; 'lunge' involves a sudden, forceful forward movement, whereas 'lounge' means to relax or recline lazily.
• Rhymes for lunge
Word Origin & Etymology
In the sense of a sudden thrust, derived in the early 17th century as an aphetic form of 'allonge' (a fencing thrust), from French 'allonger' meaning 'to lengthen', ultimately from Latin 'longus' (long). The equestrian sense derives separately from French 'longe' (a long tether), also from Latin 'longus'.