dive

[ dahyv ]

/ daɪv /

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verb (used without object), dived or dove, dived, div·ing.

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), dived or dove, dived, div·ing.

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.

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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 dip¹

usage note for dive

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 WORDS FROM dive

post·dive, adjectivepre·dive, adjectiveun·der·dive, nounun·der·dive, verb (used without object), un·der·dived or un·der·dove, un·der·dived, un·der·div·ing.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dive in a sentence

Union membership and popularity dived in the 1970s and early 1980s when public-sector organizing accelerated.
Why Progressives Shouldn’t Support Public Workers Unions|Dmitri Mehlhorn|July 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It dived into their pre-apocalypse backgrounds, their vices and issues with class.
A Perfect 'Walking Dead' Episode|Melissa Leon|March 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A friend ran down the pier, dived overboard and pulled him out; but the silk hat floated off with the tide.
If the Economy Improves|David Frum|February 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
It turns out that she dived into therapy after she learned the family secret.
Carla on the Couch|Eric Pape|October 22, 2009|DAILY BEAST

He paraglided, scuba dived, and even tried to rappel down Mt. Rushmore before he was rebuffed by park officials.
Remembering JFK, Jr.|The Daily Beast|July 15, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Quick as a flash he jumped in and dived down, down under where the fish were darting.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin|Mary Hazelton Wade
He dived, came up at a distance, and paddled away without taking flight.
Gold-Seeking on the Dalton Trail|Arthur R. Thompson
They kept quite near each other, and splashed or dived unconscious of danger.
Gold-Seeking on the Dalton Trail|Arthur R. Thompson
Young Joe dived below and reappeared the next instant, bringing a small telescope.
The Rival Campers|Ruel Perley Smith
Liosha was in the chastened mood in which she would have dived with him to the depths of the English Channel.
Jaffery|William J. Locke

British Dictionary definitions for dive

dive

/ (daɪv) /

verb dives, diving or dived or US dove or dived (mainly intr)

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 plungehe 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

(usually foll by in or into) to involve oneself (in something), as in eating food

soccer slang (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

boxing slang the act of a boxer pretending to be knocked down or outhe took a dive in the fourth round

soccer slang the act of a player pretending to have been tripped or impeded

Word Origin for dive

Old English dӯfan; related to Old Norse dӯfa to dip, Frisian dīvi; see deep, dip

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

dive

Origin of dive

usage note for dive

OTHER WORDS FROM dive

Words related to dive

How to use dive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dive

Word Origin for dive