Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Jump To:
  • power dive
    power dive
    noun
    a dive, especially a steep dive, by an aircraft in which the engine or engines are delivering thrust at or near full power.
  • power-dive
    power-dive
    verb (used with or without object)
    to cause to perform or to perform a power dive.

power dive

1 American  

noun

Aeronautics.
  1. a dive, especially a steep dive, by an aircraft in which the engine or engines are delivering thrust at or near full power.


power-dive 2 American  
[pau-er-dahyv] / ˈpaʊ ərˌdaɪv /

verb (used with or without object)

Aeronautics.
power-dived, power-dove, power-dived, power-diving
  1. to cause to perform or to perform a power dive.


power dive British  

noun

  1. a steep dive by an aircraft with its engines at high power

"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

verb

  1. to cause (an aircraft) to perform a power dive or (of an aircraft) to perform a power dive

"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

Etymology

Origin of power dive1

First recorded in 1925–30

Origin of power-dive2

First recorded in 1935–40


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:

The chins fell agape as his plane, nose down, roared earthward in a power dive, pulled up and over in a perfectly executed loop.

From Time Magazine Archive

Suddenly the leader went into a power dive and pointed directly where I was standing.

From Time Magazine Archive

Many military planes can plunge in a power dive, faster & faster until the needle of the airspeed indicator creeps close to the dread red mark of "compressibility."

From Time Magazine Archive

Fainthearts who swoon on Ferris wheels and feel dizzy when an elevator drops should keep away from this power dive into the problems of training college boys to be airmen.

From Time Magazine Archive

Stan tried hard to power dive but got only feeble results.

From A Yankee Flier in Italy by Rutherford George Montgomery

It can soar above the highest Rockies and power-dive upon its prey at more than 12,0 m.p.h.

From Time Magazine Archive

Something inside my brain was sucking all my strength in one tremendous, surging power-dive of wish fulfillment.

From The Very Black by Dean Evans

The ship was lying over on its back in a few seconds, and before I could catch a breath it suddenly whipped over and blasted toward Earth in a screeching, hissing power-dive.

From Larson's Luck by Gerald Vance

Five minutes after the first two, another lone bomber power-dived in over List from due west.

From Time Magazine Archive

In Rehoboth, Mass., a reckless chicken hawk power-dived into a henhouse, was captured by quick-thinking hens who ran out, slammed the door.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Japanese power-dived upon Nanking, Chinese anti-aircraft guns on the hills around the capital opened up, and reserve Chinese pursuit fighters took the air, climbing to tear like clawing condors at the Japanese bombers' flanks.

From Time Magazine Archive

In 1958, at the controls of his de Havilland Dove on a flight to Europe, he was attacked by Syrian MIGS, escaped only by power-diving toward the desert floor and zigzagging across the border.

From Time Magazine Archive

Messrs. Mayell's and Alley's films of the power-diving Japanese planes will be something to see in the U. S. next week if local police departments do not censor them as too inflammatory.

From Time Magazine Archive

In the overall industrial picture, inventories continued their power-diving decline, dropped another $700 million in February, showing that U.S. production had been cut much more than sales.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Airacobras rapidly overtook the bomber, even though she was power-diving far beyond her limit of stability.

From A Yankee Flier in Italy by Rutherford George Montgomery

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 14,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training