dive

verb (past and past participle dived; US also dove /dəʊv/)

• 1 [with adverbial of direction] plunge head first into water with one’s arms raised over one’s head:she walked to the deep end, then she dived in he dived off the bridge for a bet
• (of a fish or submarine) go to a deeper level in water:the fish dive down to about 1,400 feet
• swim under water using breathing equipment:he had been diving in the area to test equipment

• 2(of an aircraft or bird) plunge steeply downwards through the air:arctic skuas which dive at your head as you walk near their territories
• move quickly or suddenly in a specified direction:a bullet passed close to his head and he dived for cover (as adjective diving)he scored with a diving header
• (of prices or profits) drop suddenly:profits before tax dived by 61 per cent
• informal put one’s hand quickly into a pocket or bag in order to find something:she dived into her bag and extracted a card
• Soccer (of a player) deliberately fall when challenged in order to deceive the referee into awarding a foul: Stein was booked for diving

noun

• 1a plunge head first into water:he hit the sea in a shallow dive
• an instance of swimming or going deeper under water:divers should have a good intake of fluid before each dive

• 2a steep descent by an aircraft or bird:the jumbo jet went into a dive
• a sudden movement in a specified direction:she made a dive for the fridge to quench her thirst
• a sudden marked fall in prices or profits:an 11 per cent dive in profits
• Soccer a deliberate fall by a player, intended to deceive the referee into awarding a foul.

• 3 informal a disreputable nightclub or bar:he got into a fight in some dive