dive
Jump into and go under water
To jump into water so that your body goes under the water.
to dive into [water] / to dive off [something]
- 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.
- 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.
Move quickly downward or aside
To move very fast down or forward, often to get away from something or to hide.
to dive behind/under/for [something]
- 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.
- 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.
Start something eagerly and fully
To start doing something very fast and with strong interest, without waiting or planning much.
to dive into [task/activity/topic]
- 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.
- She dives into her work every morning.
- I dive into my homework after school.
- He dives into the book and forgets the time.
An act of jumping into water
One time when a person jumps into water and goes under the water.
to do/take [a dive]
- 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.
- She does a dive into the pool.
- His first dive is not very good.
- We go to the river for a quick dive.
Sudden, steep downward movement
A fast, strong move down, for example when a plane points down suddenly.
to go into [a dive]
- 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.
- 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.
Cheap, shabby bar or club
A very cheap, often dirty bar or place to drink, usually not nice or fancy.
a [adjective] dive
- 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.
- 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.
Decrease suddenly and sharply
To go down very fast and a lot, for example when prices or numbers change.
to dive from [amount] to [amount]
- 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.
- 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.
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.
to dive in/inside [area] / to dive for a penalty
- 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.
- 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.
Deliberate fake fall in sport
In a sport game, one action when a player falls on purpose and acts like another player hit him.
to take [a dive]
- 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.
- 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.
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.
to go on [a dive]
- 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.
- 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.
- Base: dive
- Plural: dives
- Base: dive
- 3rd Person Singular: dives
- Present Participle: diving
- Past: dived, dove
- Past Participle: dived
deep dive into [something]
1Examine something in great detail
To look at or study a subject very carefully and in great detail.
- 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
1Cheap, shabby bar
A very cheap, usually small and not nice bar where people drink alcohol.
- 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
1Jump quickly to a safe place
To move very fast to a place where you are safe from something dangerous.
- 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]
1Start quickly without much planning
To start doing something very fast and with a lot of energy, without thinking carefully first.
- He dived headfirst into running his own business.
- Before diving headfirst into a new project, make sure you understand the risks.
dive in
1Start something eagerly and immediately
To start doing something at once and with a lot of energy or interest.
- 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]
1Begin an activity with strong focus
To start doing an activity or studying a subject with a lot of energy and attention.
- 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
1Begin examining details closely
To start looking at the small, exact parts of something very carefully.
- 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
1Start immediately with no delay
To begin doing something at once, without waiting or making a long introduction.
- 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
1Go to swim or scuba underwater
To go to a place to swim under the water, often with equipment, for a short time.
- 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
1Lose 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.
- 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.