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Synonyms

submerged

American  
[suhb-murjd] / səbˈmɜrdʒd /

adjective

  1. under the surface of water or any other enveloping medium; inundated.

  2. hidden, covered, or unknown.

    There are many submerged facts which could have a bearing on the case.

  3. poverty-stricken; destitute; impoverished.

    a program to aid the submerged socioeconomic groups.


submerged British  
/ səbˈmɜːdʒd, səbˈmɜːst /

adjective

  1. (of plants or plant parts) growing beneath the surface of the water

  2. hidden; obscured

  3. overwhelmed or overburdened

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of submerged

First recorded in 1790–1800; submerge + -ed 2

Explanation

When something is submerged, it's under water — like a submarine, a car caught in a flood, or your feet in a wading pool. Use the adjective submerged to describe something that stays under the surface of the water. The flood in your basement might cause your exercise equipment to be submerged, and you probably snorkel with your face submerged. You can also use submerged to describe something that's covered up. For example, you might try to keep your sad feelings about your dog's death submerged when you're with your friends.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing submerged

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.

Over a decade ago, Suzanne Mettler’s book “The Submerged State” revealed that Americans often don’t recognize what government does, even if they directly benefit from it.

From Salon • Apr. 12, 2025

Submerged fields lie bereft of the tomatoes and Pima cotton that would ordinarily fill them, an agricultural Atlantis larger than Manhattan.

From New York Times • Apr. 2, 2023

Dave Conlin, an archaeologist and chief of the National Park Service’s Submerged Resources Center in Colorado, said the exposure of cultural artifacts due to climate change—particularly in aquatic settings—is damaging for two reasons.

From Scientific American • Oct. 31, 2022

Submerged like a giant, unfilled grave with a plywood and tarp roof, his homestead lies in an empty plot dotted with the huts of other homeless people.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 30, 2018

Submerged rocks sent great whirlpools to the surface and pulled the boat this way and that.

From The Torrent Entre Naranjos by Goldberg, Isaac