dive

DYV/daɪv/

Noun pluraldives

21 meanings of dive

1
verbintransitive
To jump into water with your head and arms going in first.
Like an arrow going point-first into the water.
Kids love to dive into the pool on hot days.
She dove off the high board with perfect form.
Similarplunge, leap, jump
2
nouncountable
A jump or fall into a body of water.
Her dive into the lake made a big splash.
That was a clean dive from the high board.
Similarplunge, jump, leap
3
verbintransitive
To swim deep under the water.
Like a fish swimming around under the water.
They dive among the coral reefs every summer.
He dove to explore the shipwreck on the ocean floor.
Similarsubmerge
Oppositesurface
Note
4
verbintransitive
To go down very fast and steeply.
Like a slide that suddenly drops straight down.
Stock prices can dive overnight on bad news.
The path dives sharply down to the river.
Similarplunge, plummet, drop, fall, tumble
Oppositesoar, climb, rise
Note
5
nounslangcountable
A dirty, low-quality bar or club.
Like a cheap, messy place where people go to drink.
We ended up at some dive near the docks.
That bar is a real dive, but the music is great.
Similarjoint, dump, hole
Note
6
verbintransitive
To start doing something with a lot of energy and excitement.
Like jumping straight into a game without waiting to watch first.
New students often dive right into campus life.
She dove into the new project without hesitation.
Similarplunge, launch, jump
Note
7
verbintransitive
To drop down fast by pointing the nose toward the ground.
Like a paper plane that suddenly points down and falls.
Hawks dive to catch their prey.
The fighter jet dove toward the target.
Similarswoop, plunge, descend, nosedive, plummet
Oppositeclimb, soar, ascend
8
nouncountable
A fast drop or fall in an amount or level.
The company's profits took a sharp dive last year.
There was a big dive in house prices last spring.
Similarplunge, drop, fall, slump, nosedive
Oppositerise, surge, climb, rally
9
verbfigurativelyintransitive
To go deeply into a subject to understand it fully.
Like swimming deep down to explore the bottom of a lake.
Let's dive into the topic after lunch.
The documentary dives into the history of jazz.
Similardelve, dig, plunge, probe
Note
10
verbintransitive
To jump head-first toward the ground or into something.
Like jumping head-first into a big pile of soft snow.
The goalkeeper had to dive to block the shot.
He dove headfirst into the pile of leaves.
Similarleap, lunge, plunge, jump

11
nouncountable
A fast downward movement through the air.
Like a bird dropping down quickly from the sky.
The eagle's dive ended with a fish in its talons.
The kite made a sudden dive toward the ground, then rose again.
Similarswoop, plunge, descent
Oppositeclimb, ascent
12
nouncountable
A short trip below the surface of water, often to swim around and look.
Like going for a walk, but under the water instead of on land.
We spent an hour on our dive among the coral reef.
The divers planned a dive to explore the sunken ship.
13
nouncountable
A headfirst jump toward the ground or down into something such as sand, snow, or water.
Like throwing yourself head-first into a big pile of dry leaves.
He took a running dive into the pile of leaves.
She landed a clumsy dive onto the gym mat.
Similarleap, plunge, lunge, jump
14
verbtransitive
To push something down into water.
Like pushing a cup down into a sink full of water.
Dive the bucket into the well to fill it.
She dived her hands into the cool stream.
Similarplunge, dip, sink, lower, submerge
Note
15
verbtransitive
To explore a place by swimming under water.
Like exploring a cave, but the cave is under the sea.
They dive the reef to look at the fish.
She loves to dive the old shipwreck near the harbor.
Similarexplore
Note
16
nouncountable
A steep drop through the air with the front of the aircraft pointing down.
Like a bird dropping straight down out of the sky.
The plane went into a sudden dive toward the runway.
The pilot pulled the jet out of its dive just in time.
Similarnosedive, plunge, descent
Oppositeclimb, ascent
Note
17
verbintransitive
To fall down on purpose after a tackle, pretending to be fouled to trick the referee.
Like a child falling down on purpose to get attention.
Fans booed when they saw the striker dive in the box.
Players who dive too often lose the trust of referees.
Note
18
nouncountable
A fall taken on purpose after a tackle to fool the referee.
Like pretending to trip so someone else gets the blame.
The referee booked him for an obvious dive.
Replays showed the fall was a clear dive.
Similarsimulation
19
verbintransitive
To jump while fielding to make a great catch, which usually gets a batter out and wins cheers.
The fielder at point had to dive low to his left to catch the cricket ball and send the batter back to the pavilion.
She dived full length and held on to a stunning catch.
Similarleap, lunge
Note
20
SayDEE-vayUS/ˈdiveɪ/UK/ˈdiːveɪ/
noun
Plural of diva. This Italian plural is rare in English, where divas is the usual plural.
Note
21
nounobsolete
Obsolete form of daeva. An old spelling of a word for a demon, not used today.
Note

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1–19

From Middle English, from two Old English verbs: dȳfan meaning 'to dip or immerse' and dūfan meaning 'to duck, dive, or sink'.

Meaning 20

From Italian dive, related to the word diva.