immersion

American  

[ih-mur-zhuhn, -shuhn] / ɪˈmɜr ʒən, -ʃən /

noun

• immersions
  plural

1. an act or instance of immersing.

2. state of being immersed.

3. state of being deeply engaged or involved; absorption.

4. baptism in which the whole body of the person is submerged in the water.

5. Also called ingress.  Astronomy. the entrance of a heavenly body into an eclipse by another body, an occultation, or a transit.

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adjective

1. concentrating on one course of instruction, subject, or project to the exclusion of all others for several days or weeks; intensive.

   an immersion course in conversational French.

immersion British  

/ ɪˈmɜːʃən /

noun

1. a form of baptism in which part or the whole of a person's body is submerged in the water

2. Also: ingress.  astronomy the disappearance of a celestial body prior to an eclipse or occultation

3. the act of immersing or state of being immersed

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonimmersion
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• immersions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of immersion

1425–75; late Middle English < Late Latin immersiōn- (stem of immersiō ) a dipping in. See immerse, -ion

Explanation

Immersion is the act of dipping something in a substance, completely covering it. It might be something physical, such as plunging your body into water, or metaphorical, such as becoming totally immersed in a project. The Latin background of immersion includes the root mergere, "to plunge." The idea of immersion as a physical submergence came first and the idea of something being absorbed in a situation came about later. The idea behind immersion is that of complete coverage, whether that be by water, as in Baptism, or by attention, as in "immersion learning," an idea for learning a language trademarked in 1965 by the Berlitz company.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

immersion immersions

Imax and Imax 70mm are built around scale and immersion, with the latter using rare 70mm film projection that has become a major draw for movie enthusiasts.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026

This study relies on ethnographic research: sustained immersion in people’s homes, lives, and communities through extensive interviews, observations, participation, and relationship-building.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

Silently observing the passive-aggressive maelstrom, Marina will receive an intense immersion in what her life might have been like if he’d lived.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

In 2006, he crossed the Bering Strait, which involved swimming across gaps in the ice while wearing an immersion suit.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026

Two days a week after work, Dorothy and the other new girls filed into a makeshift classroom at the laboratory for a full immersion in the fundamental theory of aerodynamics.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Repeated cold-water immersions during winter months have been shown to improve how the body responds to insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar levels, Mercer noted.

From Washington Times ● Feb. 10, 2023

Last month, they debuted five new travel itineraries called “Take Me On a Story,” each offering real-world immersions in scenes from classic children’s books and aimed directly at children and grandparents traveling together.

From New York Times ● May 19, 2021

But now the creator of such deliberately paced immersions in bleak naturalism as “Humanité” and “Twentynine Palms” continues his walk on the wacky side with the bizarro period piece “Slack Bay.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2017

These occasional immersions into the national conversation are so rare they should be savored to the fullest.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 14, 2016

In the springs and summers he frequented the coast, and indulged in long swimming bouts and salt-water immersions, which seemed to agree with him greatly.

From Memories and Studies by Henry James