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View synonyms for

dive

[ dahyv ]

verb (used without object)

dived or dove, dived, diving.
  1. to plunge into water, especially headfirst.
  2. to go below the surface of the water, as a submarine.
  3. to plunge, fall, or descend through the air, into the earth, etc.:

    The acrobats dived into nets.

  4. Aeronautics. (of an airplane) to descend rapidly.
  5. to penetrate suddenly into something, as with the hand:

    to dive into one's purse.

  6. to dart:

    to dive into a doorway.

  7. to enter deeply or plunge into a subject, activity, etc.


verb (used with object)

dived or dove, dived, diving.
  1. to cause to plunge, submerge, or descend.
  2. to insert quickly; plunge:

    He dived his hand into his pocket.

noun

  1. an act or instance of diving.
  2. a jump or plunge into water, especially in a prescribed way from a diving board.
  3. the vertical or nearly vertical descent of an airplane at a speed surpassing the possible speed of the same plane in level flight.
  4. a submerging, as of a submarine or skin diver.
  5. a dash, plunge, or lunge, as if throwing oneself at or into something:

    He made a dive for the football.

  6. a sudden or sharp decline, as in stock prices.
  7. Slang.
    1. a dingy or disreputable bar or nightclub:

      Grab a beer with some locals at the dive on the corner.

    2. any shabby, run-down place, especially a residence.
  8. Boxing. a false show of being knocked out, usually in a bout whose result has been prearranged:

    to take a dive in an early round.

  9. Also called sim·u·lat·ed con·tact [sim, -y, uh, -ley-tid , kon, -takt]. Soccer. a dramatic fall or feigned injury intended to persuade officials to penalize the opposing team:

    His dive fooled the ref into giving his team a free kick.

dive

/ 岹ɪ /

verb

  1. to plunge headfirst into water
  2. (of a submarine, swimmer, etc) to submerge under water
  3. also tr to fly (an aircraft) in a steep nose-down descending path, or (of an aircraft) to fly in such a path
  4. to rush, go, or reach quickly, as in a headlong plunge

    he dived for the ball

  5. also tr; foll by in or into to dip or put (one's hand) quickly or forcefully (into)

    to dive into one's pocket

  6. usually foll byin or into to involve oneself (in something), as in eating food
  7. slang.
    soccer (of a footballer) to pretend to have been tripped or impeded by an opposing player in order to win a free kick or penalty
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a headlong plunge into water, esp one of several formalized movements executed as a sport
  2. an act or instance of diving
  3. a steep nose-down descent of an aircraft
  4. slang.
    a disreputable or seedy bar or club
  5. slang.
    boxing the act of a boxer pretending to be knocked down or out

    he took a dive in the fourth round

  6. slang.
    soccer the act of a player pretending to have been tripped or impeded
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Usage Note

Both dived and dove are standard as the past tense of dive. Dived, historically the older form, is somewhat more common in edited writing, but dove occurs there so frequently that it also must be considered standard: The rescuer dove into 20 feet of icy water. Dove is an Americanism that probably developed by analogy with alternations like drive, drove and ride, rode. It is the more common form in speech in the northern United States and in Canada, and its use seems to be spreading. The past participle of dive is always dived.
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Other Word Forms

  • Dz·徱 adjective
  • ·徱 adjective
  • ܲ··徱 noun
  • ܲ··徱 verb (used without object) underdived or underdove underdived underdiving
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Word History and Origins

Origin of dive1

First recorded before 900; Middle English diven “to dive, dip,” Old English ̄ڲ “to dip” (causative of ūڲ “to dive, sink”); cognate with Old Norse ̄ڲ “to dip,” German taufen “to baptize”; akin to dip 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of dive1

Old English ӯڲ; related to Old Norse ӯڲ to dip, Frisian ī; see deep , dip
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Sale made a blistering start and took the lead in the second minute when Ford burst through before passing to Reed, who set up Ma'asi-White to dive into the corner.

From

Like the books I could not wait to dive into, this cake became another constant.

From

Goldstein dives into the culture shock of being plunged into the American comedy scene, visiting the White House, his love of musicals, and why his experience on “Sesame Street” changed his life forever.

From

It turns out to be a seriously deep dive about two very funny peope and the arc of their career together.

From

As a freshman at Canyons, he was hitting well until diving for a ground ball and injuring his left throwing shoulder.

From

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