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Dive

//daɪv// noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A jump or plunge into water.

    "the dive of a hawk after prey"

  2. 2
    plural of diva form-of, plural
  3. 3
    Obsolete form of daeva. alt-of, obsolete
  4. 4
    a steep nose-down descent by an aircraft wordnet
  5. 5
    A headfirst jump toward the ground or into another substance.

    "The 24-year-old Brazilian hurdler Joao Vitor de Oliveira progressed to the Rio competition’s semi-finals by executing a Superman-style dive headfirst over the finishing line – beating South Africa’s Antonio Alkana by one hundredth of a second."

Show 8 more definitions
  1. 6
    a headlong plunge into water wordnet
  2. 7
    A downward swooping motion.
  3. 8
    a cheap disreputable nightclub or dance hall wordnet
  4. 9
    A swim under water.
  5. 10
    A decline.
  6. 11
    A seedy bar, nightclub, etc. slang
  7. 12
    Aerial descent with the nose pointed down.
  8. 13
    A deliberate fall after a challenge.
Verb
  1. 1
    To swim under water. intransitive

    "He dove in the water to save her."

  2. 2
    swim under water wordnet
  3. 3
    To jump into water head-first. intransitive

    "It is not that pearls fetch a high price because men have dived for them."

  4. 4
    plunge into water wordnet
  5. 5
    To jump headfirst toward the ground or into another substance. intransitive

    "to dive into home plate"

Show 9 more definitions
  1. 6
    drop steeply wordnet
  2. 7
    To descend sharply or steeply. intransitive

    "[the Hammersmith & City at Paddington]: There it dived underground, eventually enabling its train services to run over, and be entangled with, the easterly extensions of the Metropolitan and the District."

  3. 8
    To lose altitude quickly by pointing downwards, as with a bird or aircraft. intransitive
  4. 9
    To undertake with enthusiasm. especially, intransitive

    "She dove right in and started making improvements."

  5. 10
    To deliberately fall down after a challenge, imitating being fouled, in the hope of getting one's opponent penalised.
  6. 11
    To leap while fielding to take a brilliant catch which usally results in a wicket and appreciation.
  7. 12
    To cause to descend, dunk; to plunge something into water. transitive

    "To dive an infant either thrice or but once in Baptism"

  8. 13
    To explore by diving; to plunge into. transitive

    "The Curtii bravely dived the gulf of flame."

  9. 14
    To plunge or to go deeply into any subject, question, business, etc.; to penetrate; to explore. figuratively, intransitive

    "dive into the Concerns of all about them"

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English diven, duven, from the merger of Old English dȳfan (“to dip, immerse”, transitive weak verb) (from Proto-Germanic *dūbijaną) and dūfan (“to duck, dive, sink, penetrate”, intransitive strong verb) (past participle ġedofen). Cognate with Icelandic dýfa (“to dip, dive”), Low German bedaven (“covered, covered with water”). See also deep, dip.

Etymology 2

From Middle English diven, duven, from the merger of Old English dȳfan (“to dip, immerse”, transitive weak verb) (from Proto-Germanic *dūbijaną) and dūfan (“to duck, dive, sink, penetrate”, intransitive strong verb) (past participle ġedofen). Cognate with Icelandic dýfa (“to dip, dive”), Low German bedaven (“covered, covered with water”). See also deep, dip.

Etymology 3

From Italian dive; see diva.

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