hundirse
verbCEFR B2
What does “hundirse” mean in English?
to plunge, to collapse
to plunge, to collapse (reflexive; sharp downward movement, literal or figurative; hundirse en la crisis)
Example sentences
Los precios de las acciones se hundieron tras el anuncio de pérdidas récord.
Share prices plunged after the announcement of record losses.
El naufragio hundió el barco en menos de veinte minutos.
The shipwreck sank the vessel in under twenty minutes.
How to use it
Hundirse means 'to plunge', 'to sink', or 'to collapse'. Reflexive form dominates figurative use: los precios se hundieron (prices plunged); la empresa se hundió (the company collapsed). The literal sense (ship sinking) also uses the reflexive. Non-reflexive hundir is transitive: hundir un proyecto (sink a project).
Common mistake
Desplomarse (collapse/crash — sudden and total) vs. hundirse (sink/plunge — can be gradual). In economy, both work; hundirse is slightly more literary. The transitive vs. reflexive distinction is crucial.