dive

[ dahyv ]

verb (used without object)

, dived or dove, dived, div·ing.

1. to plunge into water, especially headfirst.
2. to go below the surface of the water, as a submarine.
3. to plunge, fall, or descend through the air, into the earth, etc.:

   The acrobats dived into nets.

4. Aeronautics. (of an airplane) to descend rapidly.
5. to penetrate suddenly into something, as with the hand:

   to dive into one's purse.

6. to dart:

   to dive into a doorway.

7. to enter deeply or plunge into a subject, activity, etc.

verb (used with object)

, dived or dove, dived, div·ing.

1. to cause to plunge, submerge, or descend.
2. to insert quickly; plunge:

   He dived his hand into his pocket.

noun

1. an act or instance of diving.
2. a jump or plunge into water, especially in a prescribed way from a diving board.
3. the vertical or nearly vertical descent of an airplane at a speed surpassing the possible speed of the same plane in level flight.
4. a submerging, as of a submarine or skin diver.
5. a dash, plunge, or lunge, as if throwing oneself at or into something:

   He made a dive for the football.

6. a sudden or sharp decline, as in stock prices.
7. Slang.
   1. a dingy or disreputable bar or nightclub:

      Grab a beer with some locals at the dive on the corner.

   2. any shabby, run-down place, especially a residence.
8. Boxing. a false show of being knocked out, usually in a bout whose result has been prearranged:

   to take a dive in an early round.

9. Also called sim·u·lat·ed con·tact [sim, -y, uh, -ley-tid , kon, -takt]. Soccer. a dramatic fall or feigned injury intended to persuade officials to penalize the opposing team:

   His dive fooled the ref into giving his team a free kick.

dive

/ daɪv /

verb

1. to plunge headfirst into water
2. (of a submarine, swimmer, etc) to submerge under water
3. also tr to fly (an aircraft) in a steep nose-down descending path, or (of an aircraft) to fly in such a path
4. to rush, go, or reach quickly, as in a headlong plunge

   he dived for the ball

5. also tr; foll by in or into to dip or put (one's hand) quickly or forcefully (into)

   to dive into one's pocket

6. usually foll byin or into to involve oneself (in something), as in eating food
7. slang.
   soccer (of a footballer) to pretend to have been tripped or impeded by an opposing player in order to win a free kick or penalty

noun

1. a headlong plunge into water, esp one of several formalized movements executed as a sport
2. an act or instance of diving
3. a steep nose-down descent of an aircraft
4. slang.
   a disreputable or seedy bar or club
5. slang.
   boxing the act of a boxer pretending to be knocked down or out

   he took a dive in the fourth round

6. slang.
   soccer the act of a player pretending to have been tripped or impeded

Usage Note

Both dived and dove are standard as the past tense of dive. Dived, historically the older form, is somewhat more common in edited writing, but dove occurs there so frequently that it also must be considered standard: The rescuer dove into 20 feet of icy water. Dove is an Americanism that probably developed by analogy with alternations like drive, drove and ride, rode. It is the more common form in speech in the northern United States and in Canada, and its use seems to be spreading. The past participle of dive is always dived.

Other Words From

• post·dive adjective
• pre·dive adjective
• un·der·dive noun
• un·der·dive verb (used without object) underdived or underdove underdived underdiving

Word History and Origins

Origin of dive¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English diven “to dive, dip,” Old English dȳfan “to dip” (causative of dūfan “to dive, sink”); cognate with Old Norse dȳfa “to dip,” German taufen “to baptize”; akin to dip ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of dive¹

Old English dӯfan; related to Old Norse dӯfa to dip, Frisian dīvi; see deep , dip

Example Sentences

But then she reminds me of the ’80s ballad “The Living Years,” and soon we’re diving into its message about regret and unresolved conflict.

From Los Angeles Times

But there are “bitter arguments” over crucial details, such as whether the Indian Plate continues to slide beneath Tibet or is diving downward, Klemperer says.

From Science Magazine

One dives deep into the strained but anatomically accurate neck muscles and sharply delineated collar bones of St. Jerome, shown praying in the bleak wilderness.

From Los Angeles Times

After he dived to catch a touchdown pass in the second quarter, Puka Nacua was assisted off the field by trainers and examined in the sideline medical tent.

From Los Angeles Times

Cincinnati linebacker Logan Wilson kicked the ball out of Herbert’s hand as the quarterback was diving to the ground on a scramble.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• dip
• leap
• plunge