submersion
Americannoun
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the act of putting oneself or another person or thing under water or into some other enveloping medium.
Swimmers in the class are taught submersion and breath holding, floating, and kicking.
This durable tile is specially made to withstand submersion in swimming pools.
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the act of subordinating or suppressing something.
Critics talked about the film’s submersion of individual character within a vision of group solidarity.
Etymology
Origin of submersion
First recorded in 1400–50; from Late Latin submersiōn-, stem of submersiō, also summersiō “a sinking,” from Latin submers(us) “sunk” (past participle of submergere “to dip under, immerse, sink”) + -iō -ion ( def. )
Explanation
Submersion is the act of being completely held under water (or liquid) for a long time. Scuba divers use breathing tanks to maintain submersion during long, deep dives. Words with -merse or -merge come from a Latin verb meaning to dip, soak or plunge. How risky is that plunge? It’s a matter of degree, and you can find that highest degree of risk in the prefix, sub, under. Submersion is often death-defying. The legendary entertainer Harry Houdini thrilled his audiences by undergoing submersion in a 100-gallon milk can! (Don’t try that at home.)
Vocabulary lists containing submersion
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.
Triggered by earthquakes, underwater landslides or volcanic eruptions, they spread rapidly over long distances before releasing their energy near the coast in the form of sudden submersion and extremely powerful currents.
From Science Daily • May 21, 2026
What I miss most is closing my eyes at night, then opening them and it’s morning, that total submersion, yesterday’s problems wiped away like algebraic equations on a junior-high blackboard.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025
It includes a small pool of fresh, unchlorinated water and another of specially formulated salt water, both deep enough for full submersion.
From Slate • Aug. 19, 2025
"Drowning contributes due to the likelihood of submersion into the pool as he lapsed into unconsciousness; coronary artery disease contributes due to exacerbation of ketamine induced myocardial effects on the heart."
From BBC • Dec. 15, 2023
It was a result, Horace knew, of air, mucus, and seawater all mingled by respiration, which meant the deceased had been alive at submersion.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
