scuba

[ skoo-buh ]

/ ˈsku bə /

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noun

a portable breathing device for free-swimming divers, consisting of a mouthpiece joined by hoses to one or two tanks of compressed air that are strapped on the back.

scuba diving.

verb (used without object), scu·baed, scu·ba·ing.

scuba-dive.

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Origin of scuba

1950–55; s(elf)-c(ontained)u(nderwater)b(reathing)a(pparatus)

Words nearby scuba

scrutiny, scrutoire, scry, SCS, SCSI, scuba, scuba-dive, scuba diving, scud, Scudéry, scudo

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use scuba in a sentence

If you’re feeling especially adventurous, you can day trip in a rented 4×4 or ATV into the spectacular Þórsmörk Valley, then scuba dive with Arctic Adventures in Silfra, a glacier-fed fissure with some of the best underwater visibility in the world.
The 25 Best Fall Trips in the World|jversteegh|August 9, 2021|Outside Online
Anyone planning to use a sea scooter to dive with oxygen should have proper training and scuba certification.
Best underwater scooter for safe and fun aquatic adventures|Irena Collaku|July 21, 2021|Popular-Science
For years, my best friend, who loves the ocean and is a certified open water scuba diver, has been trying to convince me to go on a trip with her.
How to Build the Perfect Adventure Bucket List|Maren Larsen|May 4, 2021|Outside Online
This was the 1950s, before scuba gear was commercially available.
Protecting the world’s vanishing coral reefs|Ari Daniel, PhD ’08|April 28, 2021|MIT Technology Review

If you tend to do more snorkeling than scuba diving, look for a fin with an adjustable heel and short blade.
The best scuba and snorkel fins for divers of all abilities|PopSci Commerce Team|January 25, 2021|Popular-Science
The Oculus Rift is a wearable headset that goes over the eyes like a clunky pair of scuba goggles.
Welcome to Oculus XXX: In-Your-Face 3D is the Future of Porn|Aurora Snow|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For me, as a scientist, it all began in 1953 when I first tried scuba.
‘Mission Blue’ Warning: The Ocean Is Not Too Big to Fail|Sylvia A. Earle|August 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Accompanied by a guide, viewers can snorkel or scuba dive to the sculptures for an up-close look.
Artist Jason deCaires Taylor’s Underwater Sculptures Are a Sight to Sea|Justin Jones|April 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Scannon found his calling while on a scuba diving trip to Palau, a group of small islands near Japan.
Will These Men Ever Come Home? The Search for Missing WWII Pilots in “Vanished”|Jordan Michael Smith|November 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
If I were on a desert island I would love to have a scuba diving kit.
Benedict Cumberbatch’s Revealing Reddit AMA: On Julian Assange’s Letter and Fame|Marlow Stern|October 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Watch the scuba diver hand feed giant turtles, sting rays and even the menacing moray eels in the Hawaiian Reef Tank.
Oahu Traveler's guide|Bill Gleasner
When he's wearing his scuba mask, he's practically a self-contained submarine.
Anything You Can Do ...|Gordon Randall Garrett
His Scuba was the type that combined the breathing apparatus with the full face plate.
The Wailing Octopus|Harold Leland Goodwin
When he's wearing his scuba apparatus, he's practically a self-contained submarine.
Anything You Can Do|Gordon Randall Garrett
The speedboat was there, and so was the Scuba cart, but the rowboat wasn't.
The Electronic Mind Reader|John Blaine

British Dictionary definitions for scuba

scuba

/ (ˈskjuːbə) /

noun

an apparatus used in skindiving, consisting of a cylinder or cylinders containing compressed air attached to a breathing apparatus
(as modifier)scuba diving

Word Origin for scuba

C20: from the initials of self-contained underwater breathing apparatus

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