submersible

[ suh b-mur-suh-buh l ]

/ səbˈmɜr sə bəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR submersible ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

capable of being submersed.

capable of functioning while submersed: a submersible pump.

noun

a ship capable of submerging and operating under water; submarine.

a device designed for underwater work or exploration, as a bathyscaphe or diving bell.

RELATED WORDS

U-boat

Nearby words

submerged, submerged arc welding, submergible, submerse, submersed, submersible, submersion, submetacentric, submetallic, submicron, submicroscopic

Origin of submersible

First recorded in 1865–70; submerse + -ible

Related formssub·mers·i·bil·i·ty, nounnon·sub·mers·i·ble, adjectiveun·sub·mer·si·ble, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for submersible

First off will be submersible devices—"You can call them swimming machines," he said—deployed to survey the damage.
Send in the Robots to Japan's Nuclear Meltdown|Dan Lyons|March 19, 2011|DAILY BEAST
But the German submersible swerved just a trifle and the torpedo missed by a narrow margin.
The Boy Allies Under the Sea|Robert L. Drake
A man was lounging in the hatchway of the submersible, and this man Saiksi hailed.
The Wreck of the Titan|Morgan Robertson
Germany's most successful and highly developed class of submarine has been, of course, the U-boat type of submersible.
Kelly Miller's History of the World War for Human Rights|Kelly Miller

I am quite sure the commander of the submersible will not take you aboard his craft; so I fear you are apt to remain with us.
Ruth Fielding Homeward Bound|Alice B. Emerson
The process is necessarily slow, and to be effective the surface vessel must know the exact location of the submersible.
The Journal of Submarine Commander von Forstner|Georg-Gnther von Forstner

British Dictionary definitions for submersible

submersible

submergible (səbˈmɜːdʒɪbəl)

/ (səbˈmɜːsəbəl) /

adjective

able to be submerged

capable of operating under water, etc

noun

a vessel designed to operate under water for short periods

a submarine taking one or more men that is designed and equipped to carry out work in deep water below the levels at which divers can work

Derived Formssubmersibility or submergibility, noun

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

Word Origin and History for submersible

submersible

adj.

1866, from Latin submers-, past participle stem of submergere (see submerge) + -ible. As a noun, from 1900.