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swan-dive

[swon-dahyv]
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verb (used without object), swan-dived, swan-div·ing.
  1. to perform a swan dive.
  2. to decrease suddenly and decisively; plummet: Stock prices swan-dived overnight.
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swan dive

noun Diving.
  1. a forward dive in which the diver while in the air assumes a position with the arms outstretched at shoulder height and the legs straight and together, and enters the water with the arms stretched above the head.
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Origin of swan dive

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900
Also called, especially British, swallow dive.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

plunge, cannonball, gainer, jackknife
British Dictionary definitions for swan-dive

swan dive

noun
  1. US and Canadian a type of dive in which the diver arches back while in the air, keeping his legs straight and together and his arms outstretched, finally entering the water headfirstAlso called (in Britain and certain other countries): swallow dive
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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