dive

UK: /ˈdaɪv/ US: /daɪv/ ,(dīv)

From diva (n):

divas

npl

dive

npl (Rare)

Inflections of 'dive' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

dives

v 3rd person singular

diving

v pres p

dived

v past (US & UK)

dove

v past (Mainly US)

dived

v past p (US & UK)

dove

v past p (Mainly US)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

dive /daɪv/   v., dived or dove/doʊv/  dived, div•ing, n. 
v. 

1. to plunge into water, esp. headfirst:
   [no object] He dove straight into the pool.
2. to go underwater;
   submerge: [no object]
   The submarine dove quickly as the destroyer searched for it.
   [~ + object]
   The captain dived his submarine deep to escape from the destroyers.
3. to plunge, fall, or descend through the air:
   [no object] The acrobats dived into nets.
4. Aeronautics (of an airplane) to (cause to) descend rapidly: [no object]
   The fighter plane dove straight at the target.
   [~ + object]
   dived his plane straight at the enemy tanks.
5. to jump or move quickly;
   dart:
   [no object] The spy dived quickly into a doorway.
6. to enter deeply or plunge into a subject, activity, etc.:
   [no object] She dove straight into the new book and read all night.

n. [countable]

7. an act or instance of diving.
8. Sport a jump or plunge into water, esp. in a special way or posture.
9. Aeronautics the steep, rapid descent of an airplane.
10. a submerging, such as of a submarine.
11. a dash, plunge, or lunge, as if throwing oneself at or into something:
    The police officer made a quick dive for the weapon.
12. Informal Terms a dirty, cheap, disreputable bar or nightclub.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

dive  (dīv), v., dived or dove, dived, div•ing, n. 
v.i. 

1. to plunge into water, esp. headfirst.
2. to go below the surface of the water, as a submarine.
3. to plunge, fall, or descend through the air, into the earth, etc.:
   The acrobats dived into nets.
4. Aeronautics (of an airplane) to descend rapidly.
5. to penetrate suddenly into something, as with the hand:
   to dive into one's purse.
6. to dart:
   to dive into a doorway.
7. to enter deeply or plunge into a subject, activity, etc.

v.t. 

8. to cause to plunge, submerge, or descend.
9. to insert quickly;
   plunge:
   He dived his hand into his pocket.

n. 

10. an act or instance of diving.
11. Sport a jump or plunge into water, esp. in a prescribed way from a diving board.
12. Aeronautics the vertical or nearly vertical descent of an airplane at a speed surpassing the possible speed of the same plane in level flight.
13. a submerging, as of a submarine or skindiver.
14. a dash, plunge, or lunge, as if throwing oneself at or into something:
    He made a dive for the football.
15. a sudden or sharp decline, as in stock prices.
16. Informal Terms a dingy or disreputable bar or nightclub.
17. Sport [Boxing.] a false show of being knocked out, usually in a bout whose result has been prearranged:
    to take a dive in an early round.

• bef. 900; Middle English diven to dive, dip, Old English dȳfan to dip (causative of dūfan to dive, sink); cognate with Old Norse dȳfa dip, German taufen to baptize; akin to dip

Usage

Both dived and dove are standard as the past tense of dive. Dived, historically the older form, is somewhat more common in edited writing, but dove occurs there so frequently that it also must be considered standard:
The rescuer dove into 20 feet of icy water.
Dove is an Americanism that probably developed by analogy with alternations like drive, drove and ride, rode. It is the more common form in speech in the northern United States and in Canada, and its use seems to be spreading. The past participle of dive is always dived.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

dive / daɪv/ verb (dives, diving, dived) (dove, dived)(mainly intr)

1. to plunge headfirst into water
2. (of a submarine, swimmer, etc) to submerge under water
3. (also tr) to fly (an aircraft) in a steep nose-down descending path, or (of an aircraft) to fly in such a path
4. to rush, go, or reach quickly, as in a headlong plunge: he dived for the ball
5. (also tr; followed by in or into) to dip or put (one's hand) quickly or forcefully (into)
6. usually followed by in or into: to involve oneself (in something), as in eating food

noun

1. a headlong plunge into water, esp one of several formalized movements executed as a sport
2. an act or instance of diving
3. a steep nose-down descent of an aircraft
4. a disreputable or seedy bar or club
5. the act of a boxer pretending to be knocked down or out

Etymology: Old English dӯfan; related to Old Norse dӯfa to dip, Frisian dīvi; see deep, dip

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

di•va /ˈdivə, -vɑ/   n., pl. -vas, -ve /-vɛ/.  

1. Music and Dance prima donna (def. 1).

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

di•va  (dē′və, -vä), n., pl. -vas, -ve (-ve). 

1. Music and Dance a distinguished female singer;
   prima donna.

• Latin dīva, feminine of dīvus god; compare divine
• Italian
• 1880–85

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

diva / ˈdiːvə/ noun ( -vas, -ve / -vɪ/)

1. a highly distinguished female singer; prima donna

Etymology: 19th Century: via Italian from Latin: a goddess, from dīvus divine