immerse

[ ih-murs ]

verb (used with object)

, im·mersed, im·mers·ing.

1. to plunge into or place under a liquid; dip; sink.

   Synonyms: douse, duck, immerge

2. to involve deeply; absorb:

   She is totally immersed in her law practice.

   Synonyms: engage

3. to baptize by immersion.
4. to embed; bury.

   Antonyms: disinter

immerse

/ ɪˈmɜːs /

verb

1. often foll by in to plunge or dip into liquid
2. often passiveoften foll byin to involve deeply; engross

   to immerse oneself in a problem

3. to baptize by immersion

Derived Forms

• imˈmersible, adjective

Other Words From

• im·mersi·ble adjective
• reim·merse verb (used with object) reimmersed reimmersing

Word History and Origins

Origin of immerse¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin immersus “plunged, sunken into,” past participle of immergere “to dip, plunge, sink into”; immerge

Word History and Origins

Origin of immerse¹

C17: from Latin immergere, from im- (in) + mergere to dip

Synonym Study

See dip ¹.

Example Sentences

“I love how you can kind of go and immerse yourself into almost any culture you can think of.”

From Los Angeles Times

She also discussed other ways she prepared for the role, explaining: “I went to New York early, about a month early, so that I could live in Brighton Beach and immerse myself more in that neighbourhood. Also, so that I could fine-tune the accent.”

From BBC

“Visitors take their time and immerse themselves in the work to discover all the details. Great conversations arise about what art is,” the spokesperson said.

From Los Angeles Times

And that sort of pressure of winning at all costs makes people like Urban Meyer do things like pull Aaron out of high school early when he probably wasn't ready, and bring him down to this Florida culture, and immerse him in the world of college football because he's such a great talent.

From Salon

They’re different from virtual reality headsets that fully immerse people into a computer-generated environment.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• baptize
• bathe
• bury
• drench
• drown
• saturate
• soak
• steep