scuba

American

[skoo-buh] / ˈsku bə /

noun

a portable breathing device for free-swimming divers, consisting of a mouthpiece joined by hoses to one or two tanks of compressed air that are strapped on the back.
scuba diving.

verb (used without object)

scubaed, scubaing

scuba-dive.

scuba British

/ ˈskjuːbə /

noun

1. an apparatus used in skindiving, consisting of a cylinder or cylinders containing compressed air attached to a breathing apparatus
2. ( as modifier )
  
  scuba diving

"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

Etymology

Origin of scuba

1950–55; s(elf )- c(ontained) u(nderwater) b(reathing) a(pparatus)

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

She lives in Miami, where she is an avid sailor and scuba diver.

From The Wall Street Journal

Casino Point — the region where Alvarez was diving — is a popular location for scuba diving enthusiasts.

From Los Angeles Times

"I scuba dive quite regularly, and I know what seals are like," he said.

From BBC

A team of litter-picking scuba divers have recovered what is believed to be a Russian tracking device off the Welsh coast.

From BBC

Marine explorers know that “scuba” is an acronym for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023