dive
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to plunge into water, especially headfirst.
-
to go below the surface of the water, as a submarine.
-
to plunge, fall, or descend through the air, into the earth, etc..
The acrobats dived into nets.
-
Aeronautics. (of an airplane) to descend rapidly.
-
to penetrate suddenly into something, as with the hand.
to dive into one's purse.
-
to dart.
to dive into a doorway.
-
to enter deeply or plunge into a subject, activity, etc.
verb (used with object)
-
to cause to plunge, submerge, or descend.
-
to insert quickly; plunge.
He dived his hand into his pocket.
noun
-
an act or instance of diving.
-
a jump or plunge into water, especially in a prescribed way from a diving board.
-
the vertical or nearly vertical descent of an airplane at a speed surpassing the possible speed of the same plane in level flight.
-
a submerging, as of a submarine or skin diver.
-
a dash, plunge, or lunge, as if throwing oneself at or into something.
He made a dive for the football.
-
a sudden or sharp decline, as in stock prices.
-
Slang.
-
a dingy or disreputable bar or nightclub.
Grab a beer with some locals at the dive on the corner.
-
any shabby, run-down place, especially a residence.
-
-
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.
-
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.
verb
-
to plunge headfirst into water
-
(of a submarine, swimmer, etc) to submerge under water
-
(also tr) to fly (an aircraft) in a steep nose-down descending path, or (of an aircraft) to fly in such a path
-
to rush, go, or reach quickly, as in a headlong plunge
he dived for the ball
-
(also tr; foll by in or into) to dip or put (one's hand) quickly or forcefully (into)
to dive into one's pocket
-
to involve oneself (in something), as in eating food
-
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
noun
-
a headlong plunge into water, esp one of several formalized movements executed as a sport
-
an act or instance of diving
-
a steep nose-down descent of an aircraft
-
slang a disreputable or seedy bar or club
-
slang boxing the act of a boxer pretending to be knocked down or out
he took a dive in the fourth round
-
slang soccer the act of a player pretending to have been tripped or impeded
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have divedperfect
-
have doveperfect
-
has doveperfect 3rd person singular
-
has divedperfect 3rd person singular
-
is divingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
are divingprogressive
-
has been divingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
have been divingperfect progressive
-
am divingprogressive 1st person singular
-
divingparticiple
-
divessingular 3rd person
Past
-
had divedperfect
-
had doveperfect
-
was divingprogressive singular
-
were divingprogressive plural
-
dovesimple
-
divedsimple
-
doveparticiple
-
had been divingperfect progressive
-
divedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of dive
First recorded before 900; Middle English diven “to dive, dip,” Old English dȳfan “to dip” (causative of dūfan “to dive, sink”); cognate with Old Norse dȳfa “to dip,” German taufen “to baptize”; akin to dip 1
Explanation
To dive is to jump head first into the water. You might dare your friend to dive off a boat into a cold lake. When you dive, you plunge into a pool or other body of water. A bird or airplane also dives when it descends suddenly. The plunge or drop itself is also a dive: "When the plane went into a dive I had to close my eyes." Since 1871, dive has also been used informally for a low-rent or slightly dangerous bar, possibly from the idea that descending to a basement-level establishment involved a "dive" of sorts.
Vocabulary lists containing dive
"Hitching a Ride"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Going Down: Synonyms for "Fall"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Words with Two Past-Tense Forms That Creeped (or Crept) into English
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Virgin Galactic’s stock was taking a historic dive on Tuesday after the space-tourism firm disclosed new details about how it plans to shore up its finances.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026
That plan initially failed and a last resort was discussed of teaching the trapped men how to scuba dive and swim out.
From BBC • May 29, 2026
Those who remember Wishbone and his many adventures can now dive into the incredible behind-the-scenes feat that producing the show entailed in the new comprehensive documentary “What’s the Story, Wishbone?” from director Joey Stewart.
From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026
"During a recreational dive in the summer during the undergraduate study of HY Chan in 2019, he accidentally discovered Thecacera sesama sp. nov. in northern Taiwan waters," the researchers said.
From Science Daily • May 27, 2026
The Light Returns was out and I was dying to dive in.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
