# dive

Pronunciation: say "DYV" /daɪv/

## Verb

1. To plunge into water head-first.
   - Simple: To jump into water with your head and arms going in first.
   - _Competitive swimmers dive into the pool the instant the starting buzzer sounds._
   - _He dove from the rocks into the clear lagoon below._
3. To swim below the surface of the water.
   - Simple: To swim deep under the water.
   - _Marine biologists dive to study life on the reef._
   - _The pearl hunters dove deep without any tanks._
4. To drop or descend sharply and steeply.
   - Simple: To go down very fast and steeply.
   - _Temperatures dive after sunset in the desert._
   - _The mountain road dives toward the valley floor._
6. To throw oneself into a task or activity with great enthusiasm.
   - Simple: To start doing something with a lot of energy and excitement.
   - _Volunteers dive into relief work the moment they arrive._
   - _He dove into his studies as soon as the term began._
7. To lose altitude rapidly by angling downward, as a bird or aircraft does.
   - Simple: To drop down fast by pointing the nose toward the ground.
   - _Falcons dive at astonishing speeds when hunting._
   - _The plane dove sharply to avoid the storm._
9. To go deeply into a subject, question, or activity in order to explore it thoroughly.
   - Simple: To go deeply into a subject to understand it fully.
   - _Researchers dive into decades of records to trace the pattern._
   - _She dove into the company's finances looking for fraud._
10. To leap headfirst toward the ground or into some other substance.
   - Simple: To jump head-first toward the ground or into something.
   - _Defenders dive to intercept the ball before it reaches the net._
   - _She dove headfirst into the snowbank for the photo._
14. To cause something to descend, or to plunge it into water.
   - Simple: To push something down into water.
   - _Dive the net into the pond to bring up the fish._
   - _He dived the wooden pole into the murky water._
15. To explore a place by diving into it, or to plunge into something.
   - Simple: To explore a place by swimming under water.
   - _Each year they dive the reefs along the coast._
   - _Explorers have dived dozens of caves in the region._
17. To fall down deliberately after a challenge, imitating a foul in the hope of getting an opponent penalized.
   - Simple: To fall down on purpose after a tackle, pretending to be fouled to trick the referee.
   - _He tried to dive after a light brush from the defender._
   - _The forward dived theatrically, hoping to win a penalty._
19. To leap while fielding in order to take a spectacular catch, one that usually brings a wicket and applause.
   - Simple: To jump while fielding to make a great catch, which usually gets a batter out and wins cheers.
   - _The fielder had to dive to his right to pluck the ball one-handed._
   - _He dived at full stretch and clung on to dismiss the opener._

## Noun

2. A jump or plunge into a body of water.
   - Simple: A jump or fall into a body of water.
   - _Her final dive earned top marks from the judges._
   - _He executed a graceful dive off the cliff into the sea._
5. A run-down, disreputable bar, nightclub, or similar place. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A dirty, low-quality bar or club.
   - _The band got its start playing dives across the country._
   - _He prefers a cheap dive to a fancy cocktail lounge._
8. A sharp downward decline, as in value, level, or condition.
   - Simple: A fast drop or fall in an amount or level.
   - _The stock market's dive wiped out months of gains._
   - _Sales took a steep dive over the winter months._
11. A swift, downward swooping movement through the air.
   - Simple: A fast downward movement through the air.
   - _The hawk's dive was almost too fast to follow._
   - _With a sudden dive, the seabird snatched its prey from the waves._
12. An instance of swimming beneath the surface of water.
   - Simple: A short trip below the surface of water, often to swim around and look.
   - _The instructor led us on a dive beneath the harbor wall._
   - _Their morning dive took them past a school of bright fish._
13. A headfirst jump aimed at the ground or into another substance such as water.
   - Simple: A headfirst jump toward the ground or down into something such as sand, snow, or water.
   - _His reckless dive into the haystack left him covered in straw._
   - _A badly judged dive onto the hard sand left him bruised._
16. A steep aerial descent in which the nose points downward.
   - Simple: A steep drop through the air with the front of the aircraft pointing down.
   - _The fighter entered a steep dive to evade the missile._
   - _Engineers studied how the wings behaved during a high-speed dive._
18. A deliberate fall after a challenge from an opponent.
   - Simple: A fall taken on purpose after a tackle to fool the referee.
   - _The official awarded a yellow card for the striker's dive._
   - _Commentators called it a blatant dive rather than a real foul._
20. Plural of diva. A rare Italian plural; English normally uses divas. — plural of diva (pronounced: say "DEE-vay" US /ˈdiveɪ/, UK /ˈdiːveɪ/)
   - Simple: Plural of diva. This Italian plural is rare in English, where divas is the usual plural.

## Noun

21. Obsolete form of daeva. *(obsolete)* — Obsolete form of daeva.
   - Simple: Obsolete form of daeva. An old spelling of a word for a demon, not used today.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–19** — From Middle English diven, duven, formed from the merger of two Old English verbs: dȳfan ('to dip, immerse') and dūfan ('to duck, dive, sink, penetrate'). Both go back to Proto-Germanic, and the word is related to Icelandic dýfa ('to dip, dive') as well as to English deep and dip.
**Meaning 20** — From Italian dive; compare diva.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/dive (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).