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• crash dive
  crash dive

  noun

  a rapid dive by a submarine made at a steep angle, especially to avoid attack from a surface vessel or airplane.
• crash-dive
  crash-dive

  verb (used with or without object)

  to dive rapidly at a steep angle.

crash dive

¹ American  

noun

1. a rapid dive by a submarine made at a steep angle, especially to avoid attack from a surface vessel or airplane.

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crash-dive ² American  

[krash-dahyv, -dahyv] / ˈkræʃˈdaɪv, -ˌdaɪv /

verb (used with or without object)

crash-dived, crash-dove, crash-dived, crash-diving

1. to dive rapidly at a steep angle.

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crash dive British  

noun

1. a sudden steep dive from the surface by a submarine

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verb

1. (usually of an aircraft) to descend steeply and rapidly, before hitting the ground

2. to perform or cause to perform a crash dive

Etymology

Origin of crash dive¹

First recorded in 1915–20

Origin of crash-dive²

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

The man had earlier been evacuated from a train on the Bedford line behind the crash site.

From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026

Braun said Panish had sought to portray his client as hiding in the bushes near the crash site, but in reality, those bushes were vines and the 6-foot-4, 245-pound Erickson was easily seen.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026

Footage of the crash site on other days showed vehicles stopped on the track, with officials raising the red flag to signal to oncoming trains to stop until the traffic cleared, he said.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

Flowers were left at the crash site in memory of the victims.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2026

On January 24, 2008, Bunderson filed a motion to prohibit the prosecution from introducing diagrams of the crash site, excluding any diagram “prepared by Mr. Kaiserman, the only eyewitness.”

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel