diving
gb/dˈaɪvɪŋ/ us/dˈaɪvɪŋ/
A2
English
~ 5500
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B1
action
1
Sport of jumping into water
The sport of jumping into water from a high board or platform, sometimes doing turns or flips.
Usage pattern:
to do/go/win [diving]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "diving" with "swimming" and say *"I like diving in the sea"* when they mean general swimming. Use "diving" when there is a clear jump into the water from a height or a sport context, and "swimming" for moving through water.
Synonyms
springboard diving (More specific; refers to diving from a flexible board rather than all types of diving.)
Antonyms
swimming (Contrasts with simply moving through water rather than jumping or performing acrobatics into it.)
Collocations
competitive diving
|Olympic diving
|springboard diving
|platform diving
|synchronized diving
|diving competition
Themes
sports
|recreation
Examples
- She took up diving in college and now competes nationally.
- Diving requires strength, flexibility, and precise body control.
- We watched the Olympic diving final on television last night.
- He specializes in platform diving rather than springboard events.
- The new aquatic center has excellent facilities for both swimming and diving.
Learner examples
- My sister does diving at the local pool.
- We watched a diving show at the sports center.
- Diving looks beautiful but also very difficult.
- He won a gold medal in diving.
- The pool has a high board for diving.
Noun
B1
action
2
Underwater swimming with equipment
The activity of going under the water to look around, usually with special breathing equipment.
Usage pattern:
to go/try/do [diving]
Common mistake:
Learners may say *"go to diving"* instead of "go diving." Use the pattern "go diving," not *"go to diving"* or *"go for diving"*.
Synonyms
underwater diving (More explicit; clearly focuses on being underwater, but used less often in everyday speech.)
Antonyms
staying ashore (Describes remaining on land instead of entering the water to dive.)
Collocations
scuba diving
|deep-sea diving
|diving equipment
|diving instructor
|diving trip
|diving certification
Themes
sports
|travel
|nature
Examples
- We went diving on the coral reef during our vacation.
- Diving can be dangerous if you do not follow safety rules.
- She saved for a year to take a diving course in Thailand.
- The area is famous for its wreck diving and clear water.
- He works in commercial diving, repairing underwater pipes.
Learner examples
- I want to try diving when I visit Australia.
- They went diving and saw many colorful fish.
- Diving is popular on this island.
- You need good training before you go deep diving.
- She bought new diving equipment for the trip.
Verb
A2
action
3
Moving quickly downward headfirst
Going down fast with your head or front first, often into water.
Usage pattern:
diving into/toward [water/place/target]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "diving" instead of "jumping" in non-water situations, e.g. *"He is diving from the chair"* when there is no downward, headfirst movement. Use "diving" when the movement is clearly downwards and usually headfirst, often into water.
Synonyms
plunging (Suggests a sudden, often less controlled movement downwards; can be used in more contexts than "diving.")
Antonyms
rising (Describes upward movement, opposite to the downward movement of diving.)
Collocations
diving into the pool
|diving into the water
|diving to the ground
|diving for cover
|diving toward its prey
|diving off the cliff
Themes
movement
|sports
|nature
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Children were diving into the pool as soon as it opened.
- The bird was diving toward the lake to catch a fish.
- He hurt his neck while diving off the shallow end of the dock.
- Spectators gasped when they saw the dolphins diving and leaping out of the water.
- We were diving for cover when the hail started to fall.
Learner examples
- The boy is diving into the deep water.
- A dolphin is diving under the boat.
- She kept diving into the pool again and again.
- The bird is diving to catch a fish.
- They are diving off the rocks into the sea.
Verb
B2
action
4
Starting an activity eagerly
Beginning an activity very fast and with a lot of interest, without waiting.
Usage pattern:
diving into [task/topic/activity]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes misunderstand this as a physical action and may translate it too literally. In phrases like "diving into work," it is metaphorical and means starting quickly and with energy, not physically going downwards.
Synonyms
plunging into (Very close in meaning; often sounds slightly more dramatic or literary.)
Antonyms
hesitating (Suggests waiting or being unsure, the opposite of starting quickly and eagerly.)
Collocations
diving into work
|diving into a new project
|diving into the details
|diving into research
|diving into conversation
|diving into the topic
Themes
work
|study
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She is already diving into her next big project.
- Before diving into the details, let me give a quick summary.
- He spent the weekend diving into books about climate change.
- The team is diving into the data to find the cause of the problem.
- Instead of planning for months, they are diving into the startup right away.
Learner examples
- He is diving into his new job with a lot of energy.
- Before diving into the lesson, the teacher tells a short story.
- She started the course yesterday and is already diving into the homework.
- They are diving into the problem to find a solution.
- I am diving into this book because it is very interesting.
Noun
B2
action
5
Faking a foul in sports
In sports, when a player falls on purpose and acts hurt to make the referee give a foul or penalty.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is booked/penalized for diving
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with literal diving into water. In a sports context without water, "diving" usually means pretending to fall to get a foul.
Synonyms
simulation (Technical term used in some sports rules; sounds more formal and less conversational than "diving.")
Antonyms
fair play (Represents honest, non-deceptive behavior, the opposite of pretending to be fouled.)
Collocations
booked for diving
|accused of diving
|penalty for diving
|blatant diving
|diving in the penalty area
|crackdown on diving
Themes
sports
|ethics
Examples
- The striker was booked for diving after going down in the box.
- Fans are tired of all the diving in professional soccer.
- The coach defended his player, saying it was a genuine foul, not diving.
- The league introduced stricter punishments to reduce diving.
- Commentators criticized the blatant diving that spoiled the end of the match.
Learner examples
- He got a yellow card for diving.
- Many fans think there is too much diving in football.
- The referee said it was diving, not a real foul.
- Diving is against the spirit of the game.
- The player was accused of diving in the penalty area.
Grammar
Dictionary form
diving
IPA
GB/dˈaɪvɪŋ/
US/dˈaɪvɪŋ/
Syllables & stress
diving (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (diving)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: diving
- Plural: divings
Verb
- Base: diving
- 3rd Person Singular: divings
- Present Participle: divinging
- Past: divinged
- Past Participle: divinged
Word family
Expressions
deep-sea diving
1/dˈip sˈi dˈaɪvɪŋ/
fixed phrase
technical
Diving at great sea depths
Underwater diving far below the surface of the sea, using strong special equipment.
Examples
- Deep-sea diving requires advanced training and experience.
- He works in deep-sea diving, inspecting underwater pipelines.
- The risks of deep-sea diving are much higher than normal scuba diving.
diving board
1/dˈaɪvɪŋ bˈɔɹd/
fixed phrase
Board for jumping into water
A long, narrow board over a pool or other water that people stand on to jump or dive into the water.
Examples
- The kids lined up to use the diving board.
- He jumped off the high diving board for the first time.
- The pool was closed because the diving board was broken.
diving catch
1/dˈaɪvɪŋ kˈæt͡ʃ/
fixed phrase
Catch made while diving
In sports, a catch where a player jumps and falls forward or to the side to reach the ball.
Examples
- The outfielder made a spectacular diving catch.
- He saved the team with a last-second diving catch near the line.
- Fans cheered the goalkeeper’s diving catch to stop the shot.
diving equipment
1/dˈaɪvɪŋ ɪkwˈɪpmənt/
fixed phrase
Gear used for diving
The clothes, tools, and machines you use to dive, such as a mask, fins, and air tank.
Examples
- They checked all the diving equipment before going into the water.
- Good diving equipment is essential for safety.
- You can rent diving equipment at the shop near the harbor.
diving suit
1/dˈaɪvɪŋ sˈut/
fixed phrase
Protective suit for diving
A special suit that a person wears to stay warm and safe while diving underwater.
Examples
- She rented a diving suit before going into the cold water.
- Old-style diving suits were very heavy.
- Make sure your diving suit fits well before the dive.
go diving
1/ɡˈoʊ dˈaɪvɪŋ/
fixed phrase
Do diving as an activity
To do diving as a leisure activity, especially underwater or from a board.
Examples
- We plan to go diving on the reef this weekend.
- She goes diving every summer when she visits the coast.
- They invited us to go diving with them on holiday.
cliff diving
1/klˈɪf dˈaɪvɪŋ/
fixed phrase
sport of jumping off cliffs
The sport or activity of jumping from a high cliff into water.
Examples
- He broke his leg while cliff diving on vacation.
- Cliff diving can be very dangerous without proper training.
- We watched a group of locals cliff diving into the bay.
cliff diving
2/klˈɪf dˈaɪvɪŋ/
fixed phrase
Jumping from cliffs into water
Jumping or diving from high rocks or cliffs into deep water, usually as a sport or for fun.
Examples
- Cliff diving can be very dangerous without local knowledge.
- Tourists watched locals cliff diving into the blue sea.
- He posted a video of himself cliff diving on social media.
scuba diving
1/skˈubə dˈaɪvɪŋ/
fixed phrase
sport of diving with tanks
The sport or activity of swimming deep under water while you breathe from a tank on your back.
Examples
- Scuba diving is one of the main tourist activities on the island.
- We tried scuba diving for the first time on our honeymoon.
- You need special training before you try scuba diving.
- Scuba diving lets you get close to colorful fish and corals.
- They went scuba diving and saw turtles and sharks.
- She took a weekend course in scuba diving before the trip.