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.

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power-dive ² American  

[pou-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.

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power dive British  

noun

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

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verb

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

Etymology

Origin of power dive¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Origin of power-dive²

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

The power dive came after Tokyo's Nikkei stock average tumbled 653.36 points, to 37,516.77, the steepest one-day drop in two years.

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

At the same instant he gunned his motor, nosed his plane down in a power dive to clear the airship before an upward gust could possibly cause a foul.

From Time Magazine Archive

The minuscule sub survives the 3G power dive into the artery, and glides idyllically down a clear stream filled with pink and white corpuscles that look like house-sized globules of tapioca.

From Time Magazine Archive

We came up at twenty-five thousand feet, dropped down in a full power dive, and"—he gestured widely—"biff!

From Astounding Stories, February, 1931 by Bates, Harry