Library / English Dictionary

DIVE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected form: dove   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A steep nose-down descent by an aircraft

Synonyms:

dive; nose dive; nosedive

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("dive" is a kind of...):

descent (the act of changing your location in a downward direction)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "dive"):

power dive (a dive of an airplane that is accelerated both by gravity and by the power of the engine)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A headlong plunge into water

Synonyms:

dive; diving

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("dive" is a kind of...):

swim; swimming (the act of swimming)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "dive"):

belly flop; belly flopper; belly whop; belly whopper (a dive in which the abdomen bears the main force of impact with the water)

cliff diving (diving into the water from a steep overhanging cliff)

flip (a dive in which the diver somersaults before entering the water)

full gainer; gainer (a dive in which the diver throws the feet forward to complete a full backward somersault and enters the water feet first and facing away from the diving board)

half gainer (a dive in which the diver throws the feet forward and up to complete a half backward somersault and enters the water facing the diving board)

jackknife (a dive in which the diver bends to touch the ankles before straightening out)

swallow dive; swan dive (a dive in which the diver arches the back with arms outstretched before entering the water)

Derivation:

dive (plunge into water)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A cheap disreputable nightclub or dance hall

Synonyms:

dive; honkytonk

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("dive" is a kind of...):

cabaret; club; night club; nightclub; nightspot (a spot that is open late at night and that provides entertainment (as singers or dancers) as well as dancing and food and drink)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Swim under water

Example:

the children enjoyed diving and looking for shells

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "dive" is one way to...):

swim (travel through water)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "dive"):

snorkel (dive with a snorkel)

skin-dive (swim underwater with no breathing apparatus other than a snorkel)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Derivation:

diver (someone who works underwater)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Plunge into water

Example:

I was afraid to dive from the board into the pool

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "dive" is one way to...):

submerge; submerse (sink below the surface; go under or as if under water)

Domain category:

aquatics; water sport (sports that involve bodies of water)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "dive"):

belly-flop (dive so that one hits the water with one's belly)

jackknife (dive into the water bending the body at the waist at a right angle, like a jackknife)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

Sentence examples:

The men dive the area for animals

The men dive for animals in the area

Derivation:

dive (a headlong plunge into water)

diver (someone who dives (into water))

diving (a headlong plunge into water)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Drop steeply

Example:

the stock market plunged

Synonyms:

dive; plunge; plunk

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "dive" is one way to...):

come down; descend; fall; go down (move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way)

Verb group:

dump; plunge (fall abruptly)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "dive"):

power-dive (make a power dive)

nosedive (plunge nose first; drop with the nose or front first, of aircraft)

duck (submerge or plunge suddenly)

crash-dive (descend steeply and rapidly)

chute; jump; parachute (jump from an airplane and descend with a parachute)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Sentence examples:

The stock market is going to dive

The airplane is sure to dive

Credits

 Context examples: 

I see her as a lovely woman with kind, dove’s eyes, somewhat short of stature it is true, but carrying herself very bravely.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

"Are you going?" demanded Jo, diving for the pillow.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

On Sept. 15, the mission's planned conclusion will be a final dive into Saturn's atmosphere.

(Over Saturn's Turbulent North, NASA)

He bent his head a little towards me, and with a single hasty glance seemed to dive into my eyes.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Cassini's next dive through the gap is scheduled for May 2.

(Cassini Spacecraft Dives Between Saturn and Its Rings, NASA)

During its dive into the atmosphere, the spacecraft's speed will be approximately 70,000 miles (113,000 kilometers) per hour.

(Cassini Spacecraft Makes Its Final Approach to Saturn, NASA)

The findings are the result of the ongoing deep dive into data from NASA's Cassini mission.

(New Organic Compounds Found in Enceladus Ice Grains, NASA)

The first operational dive of Okeanos Explorer’s 2016 season, on February 27, explored depths of over 4,000 meters northeast of Necker Island (Mokumanamana) in the Hawaiian Archipelago.

(Deep Discoverer Discovers a Very Deep, Ghostlike Octopod, NOAA)

Cassini is scheduled to make a close flyby of Enceladus on Oct. 28, in the mission's deepest-ever dive through the moon's active plume of icy material.

(Cassini Finds Global Ocean in Saturn's Moon Enceladus, NASA)

The other dived down the hole, and I heard the sound of rending cloth as Jones clutched at his skirts.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)