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View synonyms for

dive

[dahyv]

verb (used without object)

dived, 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, 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 simulated contact.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. to involve oneself (in something), as in eating food

  7. slangsoccer (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. slanga disreputable or seedy bar or club

  5. slangboxing the act of a boxer pretending to be knocked down or out

    he took a dive in the fourth round

  6. slangsoccer 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

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

  • postdive adjective
  • predive adjective
  • underdive verb (used without object)
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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.

With Ojomoh keeping pace with the Scot on the break, Russell spun a looping pass for his team-mate to dive under the posts.

From

“If the dragon was diving or ascending or banking and rolling, Mason would be thrown around in the saddle, like a jockey on a racehorse,” says DeBlois.

From

After pulling down the shutters on day one, Bavuma showed more attacking intent before he drove Cummins on the up and Labuschagne pulled off a spectacular full-length diving catch at cover.

From

The inquest heard a 17-year-old lifeguard spotted her struggling and dived in after her, but she said visibility was "terrible" and she "couldn't see anything".

From

Leeds did eventually get subterranean transport - in the form of the inner ring road motorway which dives under the city centre.

From

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