swan dive

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noun Diving.

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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Also called, especially British, swallow dive.

Origin of swan dive

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

Words nearby swan dive

swamp sparrow, swamp white oak, swampy, swamy, swan, swan dive, Swanee, swang, Swan-Ganz catheter, swanherd, swank

Other definitions for swan dive (2 of 2)

swan-dive

[ swon-dahyv ]

/ ˈswɒnˌdaɪv /

verb (used without object), swan-dived, swan-div·ing.

to perform a swan dive.

to decrease suddenly and decisively; plummet: Stock prices swan-dived overnight.

How to use swan dive in a sentence

Not even after its parent company, the Soviet Union, took a dive in 1991.
Obama’s One Hand Clap With Castro|Doug McIntyre|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When used improperly those encouraging statistics take a nose dive.
Risky Business or None of Your Business? Gay XXX Films and the Condom Question|Aurora Snow|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The young goslings' first major life event is to cliff dive down to their parents, as was captured here by BBC cameras.
Barnacle Gosling’s Death-Defying Cliff Dive|Alex Chancey, The Daily Beast Video|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The film Black Swan, with costumes by Rodarte, had an enormous impact on fashion.
How High Fashion Saved the Ballet|Raquel Laneri|October 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

We wanted to create a dedicated hub where people can dive into it and get all this commentary on the news.
How Funny or Die Plans to Cover ISIS, Ebola and Elections|Asawin Suebsaeng|October 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then came the end: the Titanic, with a low long slanting dive went down and with her Thomas Andrews.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
The universal desire was for mamma to see him, and when the time came, she owned that papa's swan had not turned out a goose.
The Daisy Chain|Charlotte Yonge
Between the cape and Point Swan, there is a sandy bay, fronted by a bed of rocks.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King
He'll immediately throw down his bunch of flowers and dive despairingly into the moat.
First Plays|A. A. Milne
The Black Swan, is singing to fine fashionable houses, and bids fair to stand unrivalled in the world of Song.
The Condition, Elevation, Emigration, and Destiny of the Colored People of the United States|Martin R. Delany

British Dictionary definitions for swan dive

swan dive

noun

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

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

swan dive

Origin of swan dive

Words nearby swan dive

Other definitions for swan dive (2 of 2)

Words related to swan dive

How to use swan dive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for swan dive