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Webster 1913 Edition

Dive

Dive

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Dived
, colloq.
Dove
, a relic of the AS. strong forms deáf, dofen;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Diving
.]
[OE.
diven
,
duven
, AS.
d[GREEK]fan
to sink, v. t., fr.
d[GREEK]fan
, v. i.; akin to Icel.
d[GREEK]fa
, G.
taufen
, E.
dip
,
deep
, and perh. to
dove
,
n.
Cf.
Dip
.]
1.
To plunge into water head foremost; to thrust the body under, or deeply into, water or other fluid.
It is not that pearls fetch a high price because men have
dived
for them.
Whately.
☞ The colloquial form dove is common in the United States as an imperfect tense form.
All [the walruses]
dove
down with a tremendous splash.
Dr. Hayes.
When closely pressed it [the loon]
dove
. . . and left the young bird sitting in the water.
J. Burroughs.
2.
Fig.: To plunge or to go deeply into any subject, question, business, etc.; to penetrate; to explore.
South.

Dive

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To plunge (a person or thing) into water; to dip; to duck.
[Obs.]
Hooker.
2.
To explore by diving; to plunge into.
[R.]
The Curtii bravely
dived
the gulf of fame.
Denham.
He
dives
the hollow, climbs the steeps.
Emerson.

Dive

,
Noun.
1.
A plunge headforemost into water, the act of one who dives, literally or figuratively.
2.
A place of low resort.
[Slang]
The music halls and
dives
in the lower part of the city.
J. Hawthorne.

Webster 1828 Edition

Dive

DIVE

,
Verb.
I.
[Gr.]
1.
To descend or plunge into water, as an animal head first; to thrust the body into water or other liquor, or if already in water, to plunge deeper. In the pearl fishery men are employed to dive for shells.
2.
To go deep into any subject; as, to dive into the nature of things, into arts or science.
3.
To plunge into any business or condition, so as to be thoroughly engaged in it.
4.
To sink; to penetrate.
Dive, thought, down to my soul.

DIVE

,
Verb.
T.
To explore by diving. [Rare.]
The Curtii bravely dived the gulf of fame.

Definition 2024

Dive

Dive

See also: dive

Latin

Noun

Dive

  1. vocative singular of Deus

dive

dive

See also: Dive

English

Verb

dive ‎(third-person singular simple present dives, present participle diving, simple past dived or dove, past participle dived)

  1. To swim under water.
  2. To jump into water head-first.
    • Whately
      It is not that pearls fetch a high price because men have dived for them.
  3. To descend sharply or steeply.
  4. (especially with in) To undertake with enthusiasm.
    She dove right in and started making improvements.
  5. (sports) To deliberately fall down after a challenge, imitating being fouled, in the hope of getting one's opponent penalised.
  6. To cause to descend, dunk; to plunge something into water.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Hooker to this entry?)
  7. (transitive) To explore by diving; to plunge into.
    • Denham
      The Curtii bravely dived the gulf of fame.
    • Emerson
      He dives the hollow, climbs the steeps.
  8. (figuratively) To plunge or to go deeply into any subject, question, business, etc.; to penetrate; to explore.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of South to this entry?)
Usage notes

The past tense dove is found chiefly in North American English, where it is used alongside the regular (and earlier) dived, with regional variations; in British English dived is the standard past tense, dove existing only in some dialects. Some speakers express uncertainty about what the past participle should be;[1]dove is relatively rare as a past participle. (Compare Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary; The American Heritage Dictionary; The Cambridge Guide to English Usage)

Derived terms
(See below)
Translations
References
  1. ↑ Albright, Adam, "Lexical and morphological conditioning of paradigm gaps".

Noun

dive ‎(plural dives)

  1. A jump or plunge into water.
  2. A swim under water.
  3. A decline.
  4. (slang) A seedy bar, nightclub, etc.
  5. (aviation) Aerial descend with the nose pointed down.
  6. (sports) A deliberate fall after a challenge.
Derived terms
(See below)
Translations

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Italian; see diva.

Noun

dive

  1. plural of diva

Anagrams

Italian

Noun

dive f

  1. plural of diva

Anagrams

Latin

Adjective

dīve

  1. vocative masculine singular of dīvus

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈdaɪv/
  • Rhymes: -aɪv

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