dive

present singular third person dives · participle present diving · past dived · Canada US past dove · participle past dived · Canada US participle past dove · nonstandard participle past rare doven · nonstandard participle past rare diven · first person past singular dived · Canada US first person past singular dove · archaic present second person singular divest · past second person singular dived · Canada US past second person singular dove · archaic past second person singular divedst · present singular third person dives · archaic present singular third person diveth

1. intransitiveTo swim under water.

   He dove in the water to save her.

2. intransitiveTo jump into water head-first.

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

   1826, Richard Whately, Elements of Logic

3. intransitiveTo jump headfirst toward the ground or into another substance.

   to dive into home plate

4. intransitiveTo descend sharply or steeply.

   [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.

   2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 49

5. intransitiveTo lose altitude quickly by pointing downwards, as with a bird or aircraft.
6. especiallyintransitiveTo undertake with enthusiasm.

   She dove right in and started making improvements.

7. hobbiesTo deliberately fall down after a challenge, imitating being fouled, in the hope of getting one's opponent penalised.
8. ball gamesTo leap while fielding to take a brilliant catch which usually results in a wicket and appreciation.
9. transitiveTo cause to descend, dunk; to plunge something into water.

   To dive an infant either thrice or but once in Baptism

   [1594], Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Iohn Windet, […], →OCLC, (please specify the page)

10. transitiveTo explore by diving; to plunge into.

    The Curtii bravely dived the gulf of flame.

    1668, John Denham, The Progress of Learning

    1 more example

    The green lane is the school-boy's friend, / Low leaves his quarrel apprehend, / […] / The brimming brook invites a leap, / He dives the hollow, climbs the steep.

    1867, Ralph Waldo Emerson, “May-Day”, in May-Day and Other Pieces, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC, page 20

11. figurativelyintransitiveTo plunge or to go deeply into any subject, question, business, etc.; to penetrate; to explore.

    dive into the Concerns of all about them

    1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London

    1 more example

    Google says this lets AI Mode recommend more diverse sources, produce deeper answers to more complex queries, dives deeper – and you have the ability to ask follow-up questions.

    2025 June 13, Thomas Germain, “Is Google about to destroy the web?”, in BBC

plural dives

1. A jump or plunge into water.

   the dive of a hawk after prey

2. 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.

   2016 August 16, Kate Samuelson, “Here Are Other Athletes Who Famously Won with a Dive”, in Time

3. A downward swooping motion.
4. A swim under water.
5. A decline.
6. slangA seedy bar, nightclub, etc.
7. aeronauticsAerial descent with the nose pointed down.
8. hobbiesA deliberate fall after a challenge.

1. pluralplural of diva

plural dives

1. obsoleteObsolete form of daeva.