immerse
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
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(often foll by in) to plunge or dip into liquid
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to involve deeply; engross
to immerse oneself in a problem
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to baptize by immersion
Synonym Usage
See dip 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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immersesimple
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immersessimple
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have immersedperfect
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has immersedperfect
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am immersingprogressive
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are immersingprogressive
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is immersingprogressive
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have been immersingperfect progressive
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has been immersingperfect progressive
Past
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immersedsimple
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had immersedperfect
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was immersingprogressive
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were immersingprogressive
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had been immersingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of immerse
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin immersus “plunged, sunken into,” past participle of immergere “to dip, plunge, sink into”; see immerge
Explanation
If you immerse yourself in your work, you completely involve yourself in it, spending long hours in the office and thinking about work all the time. Immerse can also mean to submerge in a liquid. A science experiment might tell you to immerse a piece of paper completely in water. If you are a swimmer immersed in a rigorous training regimen, you might be immersing yourself in the pool several times a day.
Vocabulary lists containing immerse
ACT Vocabulary List
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With the Fire on High
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"Speaking Up"
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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.
See Examples For:
Sometimes it really is as simple as putting on the wig or turning on a movie to immerse yourself in an experience beyond your own.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
They now plan to turn the property into a holiday let, where fellow fans can literally immerse themselves in the show.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
As thrilling as it was to immerse myself in American sports, English football was my foundational text.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
When she’s not writing, she loves to immerse herself in another form of art — music.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026
“How do I immerse myself in the desert?”
From "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho
But what’s most gripping about this thorough, scholarly survey is that it immerses viewers in the Celtic aesthetic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
"It immerses you in that fantasy," Alia says, describing it as a form of escapism.
From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2026
Ever since, she’s been hooked, admitting the premium format is “the only legit movie experience that immerses you in the story.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2025
Gaga has called “Mayhem” a series of gothic dreams, and in “The Art of Personal Chaos,” she immerses her audience in these fantasies.
From Salon ● Apr. 16, 2025
Instead, he immerses himself in the guidebook, studying the history of Mughal architecture, learning the succession of emperors’ names: Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Many great filmmakers are immersed in the same ideas, returning to them in one way or another with each film.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
During hydration breaks and at half-time, a large towel that has been immersed in ice-cold water is more effective.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Until now, however, the same approach had not succeeded with molecules immersed in a superfluid.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 4, 2026
Benjamin Feinberg, foreground, and his wife, Amy, are immersed in a changing kaleidoscope of imagery in the Infinity room.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
The closest he could think of was when he and Blink were immersed in a book together.
From "The Marvels" by Brian Selznick
Authors Ron Currie and David Heska Wanbli Weiden both return to their singular protagonists with narratives that deepen their legends by immersing readers in overlooked communities.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
In “I Am Not a Robot,” she amusingly explores “what this world-changing technology actually means for us and our children” by immersing herself in AI for a year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
"We can levitate objects against gravity by immersing them in a sound field called a standing wave."
From Science Daily ● Mar. 22, 2026
Georgia had trained as a midwife, immersing herself in the world she feared she could never be part of.
From BBC ● Nov. 27, 2025
Once Southside moved to our neighborhood, I’d pass whole afternoons at his house, pulling albums from the shelf at random and putting them on his stereo, each one its own immersing adventure.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
