From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdivedive1 /daɪv/ ●●○ verb (past tense dived also dove /dəʊv $ doʊv/ American English, past participle dived) [intransitive] 1 jump into waterDSS to jump into deep water with your head and arms going in firstdive into/off etc She dived into a pool. Diving off the cliffs is dangerous.► see thesaurus at jump2 swim under waterDSS to swim under water using special equipment to help you breathe The first time you dive on a coral reef is an experience you will never forget.3 go deeper/lowerTTAHBB to travel down through the air or through water to a lower level The submarine began to dive. The aircraft appeared to dive vertically towards the crowd.4 move quickly [always + adverb/preposition]MOVE/CHANGE POSITION to move or jump quickly in a particular direction or into a particular place Jackson dived after the ball. We dived into a shop to avoid the rain. The soldiers were diving for cover (=to protect themselves behind something).5 → dive into your bag/pocket etc6 numbers if numbers, prices etc dive, they suddenly become much lower than before The dollar dived against the yen in Tokyo today.7 soccer to fall down deliberately in order to unfairly win a free kick or a penalty → dive in→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
dive• Roger was standing at the edge of the pool ready to dive.• She stood at the edge of the pool waiting to dive.• Slowly, the submarine began to dive.• The dollar dived against the Japanese yen in Tokyo today.• The hawk stopped in mid-flight before diving down on its prey.• But with the thrust coming from the back the body is nose-heavy and liable to dive downwards.• The men use scuba gear to dive for abalone.• The children then dive for them and see how many items of treasure they can catch.• The pool was deserted, and Lindsey wasted no time before diving in head-first.• A woman dived in to rescue the boy.• You can really dive into it.• Queequeg quickly fastens the boom and then dives into the freezing water and rescues the bumpkin.• Ralph dived into the icy water.• We dive into the seat, piling on to each other.• Flight 776 from Orlando suddenly lost cabin pressure and dived nearly four miles.• I was spoiled by my prime seat as a pilot and remember fondly that view when I dive now as a scientist.• Evan dived off the rock into the sea.• While diving, the menu is inaccessible and all functions are automatic.• The engine did not re-start, and the plane dived to the ground.dive into/off etc• It was like diving into a huge space, a timeless space.• In the end, I could only escape by galloping off, leaving him in full flow, and diving into a shop.• She kept diving into her cart for rolls of dollar tokens.• Many people, in order to feel more secure, make the mistake of diving into straps at the first possible opportunity.• He had no choice but to inflate his lungs and dive into the clear hissing shadows.• People still exhibit articles for sale on the quayside for visiting cruise ships, but boys no longer dive into the murky waters.• Only Queequeg, of all aboard ship, dives into the sea and rescues him.• I find myself pantomiming a bird with large wings, diving into the water, catching a fish in its beak.divedive2 ●●○ noun [countable] 1 MOVE/CHANGE POSITIONsudden movement a sudden movement in a particular direction or into a particular place She made a dive for the bathroom.2 sudden fall a sudden fall in the amount, value, or success of something The news put shares in a dive. The team’s fortunes have taken a dive this year.3 movement downwards when something moves down through the air or water Thankfully, the pilot managed to pull out of the dive and regain control.steep/vertical dive4 DSSjump a jump into deep water with your head and arms going in first5 swim the act of going under water to swim, using special equipment to help you breathe 6 place informalDL a bar, club etc that is cheap and dirty7 soccer the act of falling down deliberately in order to unfairly win a freekick or a penaltyCOLLOCATIONS – Meaning 3: when something moves down through the air or waterverbsgo into a dive (=start to move downwards)The plane was in trouble, then it went into a dive.pull out of a dive (=stop a plane going down)He tried to pull out of the steep dive before hitting the ground.adjectivesa steep dive (=going down suddenly)The fighter plane went into a steep dive.a vertical dive (=going straight down)His actions sent the plane into a near vertical dive.a shallow dive (=going down slowly rather than suddenly)The bird captures its prey on the ground after a long, shallow dive. Examples from the Corpus
dive• It was a dive, but it was the only place to go that was near the airport.• Optional dives are performed in the quarterfinal, followed by required dives in the semifinal and optionals again in the final.• She did a perfect dive from the top board.• That was a perfect dive.• Two BF109 planes flashed past in a steep dive.• We prepared the bell for the dive.• Nobody else in this dive has any money, and for them it will he a long cold evening.taken a dive• Time after time, companies have taken a dive, leaving a mass of dead and dying labels in their wake.• I could have taken a dive along with you.• Their sales have taken a dive.steep/vertical dive• He then attacked a third which went down in a vertical dive, apparently into the sea.• There have been several cases of two-seaters being overstressed by pilots pulling back hard to recover from steep dives after spin recoveries.• This, not his ethical problems, caused the steepest dive in his national popularity, to its current nadir.• He naturally tried to recover from the steep dive before striking the ground.Origin dive1 Old English dufan “to sink” and dyfan “to put into liquid” 