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Most of the times, I see into as preposition after plunge but oxford says plunge in is also used.

For instance

All my hopes were duped and I was plunged in deep sorrow.

This sentence is grammatically correct according to my book.

I am very confused whether to use in or into with plunge.

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Either is grammatical, there is a small difference in meaning though.

"I was plunged into sorrow": At a specific time, I suddenly went from a state of not being in sorrow to a state of being in sorrow (as if quickly submerged in water)

"I was plunged in sorrow": I was in the state of being in sorrow (having been plunged into sorrow at some unspecified previous time)

The second one sounds somewhat "poetic" and may be stilted in casual conversation (US American). We'd usually say the first.

(These sentences would diagram differently, "plunged" in the second sentence "plunged in" acts more like an adjective and not a verb.)

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  • Agreed, it would be far more common to hear "I was plunged in water" meaning you were thrown or submerged in water, probably by someone else's action.
    – Peter Jennings
    Commented Nov 25, 2019 at 17:24
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    But "plunge (oneself or another person or thing) into" is more usual when there is a violent movement.
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Nov 25, 2019 at 17:28
  • @BadZen Can I say , She was about to plunge into her story when the phone rang. Or into should be replaced with in
    – Pradeep
    Commented Nov 26, 2019 at 1:23
  • That usage is good! ("plunge in her story" is wrong / unintelligible.)
    – BadZen
    Commented Nov 26, 2019 at 6:40

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