dive
gb/dˈaɪv/ us/dˈaɪv/
A2
English
~ 7200
Senses
0 senses
Verb
A2
action
1
Jump into and go under water
To jump into water so that your body goes under the water.
Usage pattern:
to dive into [water] / to dive off [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"jump in the water"* when they mean a controlled, head-first movement. "Jump in" is more general, while "dive" usually means going under the surface in a smooth way, often head-first.
Synonyms
plunge (Often suggests a more sudden or dramatic entry into water or another substance.)
Antonyms
surface (Means to come up to the top of the water, the opposite direction of movement.)
Collocations
dive into the pool
|dive into the water
|dive off the board
|dive to the bottom
|dive under the waves
Themes
sports
|leisure
|travel
|daily_life
Examples
- She took a breath and dived into the cold lake.
- The children were diving off the rocks into the sea all afternoon.
- He dived under the waves to avoid getting knocked over.
- We watched dolphins diving in and out of the water beside the boat.
Learner examples
- The boy dives into the pool.
- I like to dive into the sea in summer.
- She dives under the water and swims to the other side.
Verb
B1
action
2
Move quickly downward or aside
To move very fast down or forward, often to get away from something or to hide.
Usage pattern:
to dive behind/under/for [something]
Common mistake:
Learners may overuse "fall" instead of "dive". "Fall" does not usually include the idea of choosing to move or trying to protect yourself, while "dive" often suggests a quick, controlled movement.
Synonyms
duck (Usually means quickly bending your head or body down to avoid being hit, often less dramatic than "dive".)
Antonyms
rise (Describes upward movement, the opposite direction to diving down.)
Collocations
dive for cover
|dive to the ground
|dive under the table
|dive behind the sofa
|dive out of the way
Themes
movement
|safety
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- People dived for cover as the shots were fired.
- He dived behind a parked car to avoid the explosion.
- The bird suddenly dived towards the ground to catch an insect.
- The plane dived sharply before pulling up again.
Learner examples
- He dives behind the wall when he hears the loud noise.
- The cat dives under the bed when it is scared.
- They dive to the ground to stay safe.
Verb
B1
action
3
Start something eagerly and fully
To start doing something very fast and with strong interest, without waiting or planning much.
Usage pattern:
to dive into [task/activity/topic]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"enter into work"* or *"start work fast"* instead of the natural phrase "dive into work". Also, "dive into" is usually used with activities or topics, not physical places, in this figurative sense.
Synonyms
plunge into (Very close in meaning, but can sound slightly more formal or dramatic than "dive into".)
Antonyms
ease into (Suggests starting something slowly and carefully, the opposite of diving in quickly.)
Collocations
dive into work
|dive into a project
|dive into a book
|dive into a new hobby
|dive into the details
Themes
work
|education
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She dived into her new job and quickly impressed everyone.
- After dinner, he dived into his homework and finished it in an hour.
- The podcast dives into the history of the city in surprising detail.
- He loves to dive into a good novel on the weekend.
Learner examples
- She dives into her work every morning.
- I dive into my homework after school.
- He dives into the book and forgets the time.
Noun
A2
event
4
An act of jumping into water
One time when a person jumps into water and goes under the water.
Usage pattern:
to do/take [a dive]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse "a dive" with "diving". Use "a dive" for one jump ("That was a great dive"), and "diving" for the general activity or sport ("I like diving").
Synonyms
plunge (Can mean a similar movement into water, but is less tied to swimming or sport technique.)
Collocations
take a dive
|do a dive
|a perfect dive
|a shallow dive
|a high dive
Themes
sports
|leisure
|daily_life
Examples
- Her final dive earned the highest score of the competition.
- He took a quick dive in the lake to cool off.
- The video shows his spectacular dive from the cliff.
- That was the best dive I've ever seen you do.
Learner examples
- She does a dive into the pool.
- His first dive is not very good.
- We go to the river for a quick dive.
Noun
B2
event
5
Sudden, steep downward movement
A fast, strong move down, for example when a plane points down suddenly.
Usage pattern:
to go into [a dive]
Synonyms
plunge (Also means a sudden downward movement, but is used more generally, not only for aircraft.)
Antonyms
climb (For aircraft or similar, means to move upward, the opposite of going into a dive.)
Collocations
go into a dive
|in a steep dive
|pull out of a dive
|a sudden dive
|a dramatic dive
Themes
transport
|weather
|transportation
Examples
- The plane went into a steep dive before leveling out.
- The pilot managed to pull the aircraft out of its dive just in time.
- From the ground, we watched the jet perform a rapid dive and then shoot back up.
- The eagle broke its glide and went into a sudden dive toward its prey.
Learner examples
- The plane is in a fast dive.
- The pilot stops the dive and goes up again.
- The bird makes a quick dive to catch the fish.
Noun
informal
B2
entity
6
Cheap, shabby bar or club
A very cheap, often dirty bar or place to drink, usually not nice or fancy.
Usage pattern:
a [adjective] dive
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think "dive" here is related to water. In this meaning it only describes a low-quality place, usually to drink or listen to music, and has nothing to do with swimming.
Synonyms
hole-in-the-wall (Informal term for a very small, often hidden place; can be negative or affectionate, while "dive" is usually clearly negative or rough.)
Antonyms
upscale bar (Describes a stylish, expensive bar, the opposite kind of place from a dive.)
Collocations
a real dive
|a little dive bar
|some smoky dive
|a rundown dive
|a neighborhood dive
Themes
nightlife
|places
|daily_life
|arts_entertainment
Examples
- They ended up drinking in a little dive on the edge of town.
- The place looks like a total dive from the outside, but the food is amazing.
- We used to play gigs in smoky dives when we first started the band.
- It's a bit of a dive, but it's my favorite bar in the city.
Learner examples
- We have a drink in a small dive near the station.
- This bar is a real dive, but it is cheap.
- The restaurant looks like a dive, so we do not go in.
Verb
B2
action
7
Decrease suddenly and sharply
To go down very fast and a lot, for example when prices or numbers change.
Usage pattern:
to dive from [amount] to [amount]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"go very down"* or *"fall a lot"* instead of verbs like "dive" or "drop". In news or business English, "dive" is a common, natural way to describe strong, sudden decreases.
Synonyms
plummet (Very close in meaning; can sound slightly more formal or dramatic than "dive".)
Antonyms
soar (Means to rise quickly and a lot, the opposite of diving in this financial or numerical sense.)
Collocations
prices dived
|sales dived
|temperatures dived
|profits dived
|the market dived
Themes
business
|economics
|weather
|finance
Examples
- Share prices dived after the disappointing earnings report.
- Temperatures are expected to dive below freezing tonight.
- Tourist numbers dived during the winter months.
- The company's reputation dived after the scandal.
Learner examples
- Last year, sales dived in the winter.
- The price of the stock dives after the bad news.
- At night the temperature dives and it is very cold.
Verb
informal
C1
action
8
Pretend to fall in sport
In a sport game, to fall to the ground on purpose and pretend another player hit you, so the referee gives you a free kick or penalty.
Usage pattern:
to dive in/inside [area] / to dive for a penalty
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with the normal meaning of jumping into water. In sports reporting, "to dive" often means faking a foul, not swimming.
Synonyms
flop (Common in American sports, especially basketball; used in a similar way for pretending to be fouled.)
Antonyms
stay on your feet (In sports talk, this means not falling down easily; the opposite of diving to the ground.)
Collocations
accuse someone of diving
|booked for diving
|caught diving
|a player who always dives
|to dive for a penalty
Themes
sports
Examples
- The striker was booked for diving in the penalty area.
- Fans were angry, claiming that he had clearly dived to win the free kick.
- The replay showed that there was no contact and that the player had dived.
- The coach said he would not tolerate players diving to cheat the referee.
Learner examples
- The player dives to get a penalty.
- The referee thinks he dives and gives him a yellow card.
- Some fans hate it when players dive in a game.
Noun
informal
C1
event
9
Deliberate fake fall in sport
In a sport game, one action when a player falls on purpose and acts like another player hit him.
Usage pattern:
to take [a dive]
Common mistake:
The phrase "take a dive" can also mean to lose a fight or game on purpose, especially in boxing. Learners should use context to see if it means a fake foul in sport or a deliberate loss.
Synonyms
flop (Used in some sports for this same kind of fake fall.)
Antonyms
fair play (Represents honest behavior in sport, the opposite of cheating by taking a dive.)
Collocations
a blatant dive
|an obvious dive
|to take a dive
|accused of taking a dive
|penalized for a dive
Themes
sports
Examples
- The replay made it clear that the penalty was the result of a blatant dive.
- He was criticized in the press for that embarrassing dive in the second half.
- The referee missed the dive and awarded a penalty anyway.
- Fans booed when they saw the opposing striker's obvious dive.
Learner examples
- The player gets a penalty after a bad dive.
- Many people think the goal comes from a dive.
- The coach is angry about the dive and calls it cheating.
Noun
B2
event
10
Single underwater (often scuba) trip
One time when a person goes under the water, often with special air equipment, to swim or look at things.
Usage pattern:
to go on [a dive]
Common mistake:
Learners may say *"I did diving"* when they mean one specific time underwater. Use "I did two dives" or "I went for a dive" for a countable event.
Synonyms
dive trip (More clearly suggests an organized, planned diving activity, often including travel.)
Collocations
a deep dive
|a night dive
|a wreck dive
|go for a dive
|plan a dive
Themes
travel
|sports
|nature
Examples
- We did three dives on the reef during our holiday.
- The visibility on yesterday's dive was amazing.
- She logged her hundredth dive last weekend.
- The second dive of the day was to a shipwreck at 30 meters.
Learner examples
- We go for a dive to see the fish.
- The first dive is easy and not very deep.
- He wants to do a night dive on vacation.
Grammar
Dictionary form
dive
IPA
GB/dˈaɪv/
US/dˈaɪv/
Syllables & stress
dive (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (dive)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: dive
- Plural: dives
Verb
- Base: dive
- 3rd Person Singular: dives
- Present Participle: diving
- Past: dived, dove
- Past Participle: dived
Word family
Expressions
deep dive into [something]
1/dˈip dˈaɪv ˈɪntu sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
Examine something in great detail
To look at or study a subject very carefully and in great detail.
Examples
- The report includes a deep dive into consumer behavior trends.
- In this episode, we take a deep dive into the history of the internet.
dive bar
1/dˈaɪv bˈɑɹ/
fixed phrase
informal
Cheap, shabby bar
A very cheap, usually small and not nice bar where people drink alcohol.
Examples
- They spent the evening drinking in a little dive bar downtown.
- This place looks like a dive bar, but the music is great.
dive for cover
1/dˈaɪv fɚ kˈʌvɚ/
fixed phrase
Jump quickly to a safe place
To move very fast to a place where you are safe from something dangerous.
Examples
- People dived for cover as the storm suddenly hit the beach.
- When the shots rang out, everyone dived for cover behind cars and walls.
dive headfirst into [something]
1/dˈaɪv hˈɛdfˈɚst ˈɪntu sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
Start quickly without much planning
To start doing something very fast and with a lot of energy, without thinking carefully first.
Examples
- He dived headfirst into running his own business.
- Before diving headfirst into a new project, make sure you understand the risks.
dive in
1/dˈaɪv ˈɪn/
phrasal verb
Start something eagerly and immediately
To start doing something at once and with a lot of energy or interest.
Examples
- As soon as the food arrived, everyone dived in.
- There's a lot to do, so let's just dive in.
- He dived in and started fixing the problem without asking many questions.
dive into [something]
1/dˈaɪv ˈɪntu sˈʌmθɪŋ/
phrasal verb
Begin an activity with strong focus
To start doing an activity or studying a subject with a lot of energy and attention.
Examples
- She dived into her new role and quickly learned everything she needed.
- The course dives into advanced topics in the second week.
- He loves to dive into complex problems and find simple solutions.
dive into the details
1/dˈaɪv ˈɪntu ðə dˈiteɪlz/
fixed phrase
Begin examining details closely
To start looking at the small, exact parts of something very carefully.
Examples
- We don't have time to dive into the details today.
- The article dives into the details of how the system actually works.
dive right in
1/dˈaɪv ɹˈaɪt ˈɪn/
phrasal verb
informal
Start immediately with no delay
To begin doing something at once, without waiting or making a long introduction.
Examples
- We don't have much time, so let's dive right in.
- The speaker dived right in without any small talk.
go for a dive
1/ɡˈoʊ fɚ ə dˈaɪv/
fixed phrase
Go to swim or scuba underwater
To go to a place to swim under the water, often with equipment, for a short time.
Examples
- We got up early to go for a dive before breakfast.
- If the weather is good tomorrow, let's go for a dive on the reef.
take a dive
1/tˈeɪk ə dˈaɪv/
idiom
informal
Lose or fall on purpose
To lose a fight or game on purpose, or to fall down on purpose in sport, usually to get money or an advantage.
Examples
- Some fans believed the boxer had taken a dive in the third round.
- The striker was accused of taking a dive to win a penalty.