submerge

[ suhb-murj ]

verb (used with object)

, sub·merged, sub·merg·ing.

1. to put or sink below the surface of water or any other enveloping medium.

   Synonyms: submerse

2. to cover or overflow with water; immerse.

   Synonyms: engulf, inundate, flood

3. to cover over; suppress; conceal; obscure; repress:

   His aspirations were submerged by the necessity of making a living.

verb (used without object)

, sub·merged, sub·merg·ing.

1. to sink or plunge under water or beneath the surface of any enveloping medium.
2. to be covered or lost from sight.

submerge

/ səbˈmɜːs; səbˈmɜːdʒ; səbˈmɜːʃən /

verb

1. to plunge, sink, or dive or cause to plunge, sink, or dive below the surface of water, etc
2. tr to cover with water or some other liquid
3. tr to hide; suppress
4. tr to overwhelm, as with work, difficulties, etc

Derived Forms

• subˈmergence, noun

Other Words From

• sub·mer·gence noun
• re·sub·merge verb resubmerged resubmerging
• un·sub·merg·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of submerge¹

First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin submergere, equivalent to sub- sub- + mergere “to dip, immerse”; merge

Word History and Origins

Origin of submerge¹

C17: from Latin submergere, from sub- + mergere to immerse

Example Sentences

As an anguished artist and family man pushed to confront unresolved pain, the great André Holland moves through “Exhibiting Forgiveness” like someone who doesn’t just work with paint, but would just as soon submerge himself it, like an immersion chamber, if it kept his wounds from opening further.

From Los Angeles Times

When a surfer puts too much weight at the front of their board, the tip of the board will submerge in the water, often resulting in the surfer flailing or falling off their board.

From Los Angeles Times

I feel like there’s two types of people: people who like to submerge themselves in the water, and then there are people who do not.

From Los Angeles Times

When a surfer puts too much weight at the front of their board, the tip of the board will submerge in the water, often resulting in the surfer flailing or falling off their board.

From Los Angeles Times

It is brutal, full-contact, high-octane fun which, for good measure, demands competitors must also submerge themselves to complete a 360-degree boat roll.

From BBC

Related Words

• deluge
• douse
• drench
• drown
• engulf
• flood
• immerse
• inundate
• overflow
• overwhelm
• sink
• subside
• swamp