dive (verb, noun) past tense: dove, dived LISTEN
Dive means ‘to come into the water, usually headfirst.’
- Michael dives into the water and swims the length of the pool.
Dive also means ‘to descend through the air.’
- The eagle dove to the ground and grabbed the rat.
- The paratrooper dives through the air and opens her parachute.
A dive is an act of diving.
- Eva's dive from the high board was perfectly executed.
- The treasure hunters went on a dive.
Don't confuse it with
diva: a distinguished female singer. Example: “The diva sang the aria.”
Related words
diver: someone who dives. Example: “The scuba diver swam near a coral reef.”
Did you know?
Dive has another colloquial meaning. Did you ever go into a bar or a club and feel uncomfortable? Maybe it’s not very clean or the people in the bar look a bit disreputable. We would call a bar like that a dive.
In pop culture
Sing along with Nirvana in their song “Dive.”
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