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

For those of us immersed in this research, the election results may be disappointing and alarming, but it’s not like we didn’t see it coming.

From Salon

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

From Los Angeles Times

His four sons — Rudy is the oldest and Calvin wedged between Perry and Zack — all served as bat boys and clubhouse attendants, immersed in the day-to-day routines of big league players.

From Los Angeles Times

Whenever he wasn’t practicing or playing, Schwesinger could often be found immersing himself in another film session.

From Los Angeles Times

Her mother Esther Ghey said Brianna had become "immersed in darkness", falling behind in schoolwork and spending a lot of time online, garnering thousands of followers on TikTok and YouTube by posting video content.

From BBC

Related Words

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