What does dived mean?
"Dived" is the past tense and past participle of the verb "dive," which means to plunge headfirst into water or to drop sharply downward. A swimmer who leapt from a cliff has dived; a falcon that swooped on its prey has dived; and share prices that collapsed overnight are said to have dived as well. The word carries connotations of speed, decisiveness, and commitment — one does not dived casually, but rather throws oneself wholly into the motion. It also appears figuratively, as when someone "dived into" a project or a plate of food, suggesting eager, wholehearted engagement. English offers two accepted past forms: "dived," the older and more traditional choice, dominant in British English and formal writing, and "dove," an American innovation formed by analogy with verbs like "drive–drove." Both are fully standard, so writers may choose based on regional preference or rhythm within the sentence. Derived forms include "diver" and "diving."
verb"Dived" is the standard past tense and past participle of the verb "dive," meaning to plunge headfirst into water, or to descend or drop rapidly and steeply.
- To plunge headfirst into water.
- To descend or drop suddenly and steeply, as an aircraft, price, or bird of prey.
"She dived off the rocks into the cool blue sea."
"The goalkeeper dived to his left but couldn't reach the ball."
"Share prices dived sharply after the announcement."
Both "dived" and "dove" are correct past tenses of "dive" — but Britons overwhelmingly say "dived," while Americans have made "dove" popular by analogy with "drove" and "strove."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dived
The verb "dive" descends from Old English "dīfan," meaning to plunge or sink, and belongs to an old Germanic family of words that also gave us "dip" and "deep." The form "dived" is simply its regular past-tense formation and has been the standard since Middle English times. The rival form "dove" arose much later, apparently by analogy with strong verbs such as "drive–drove" and "strive–strove," and gained ground chiefly in North America during the nineteenth century.
Related word forms
How dived is actually used
"Dived" is the traditional and still preferred past tense in British English and in formal American usage; "dove" is a well-established American alternative. Neither form carries any special connotation — register depends on context, not the word itself.
Easily confused with dived
"Dove" is an alternative past tense of "dive" common in American English, but it is also a noun meaning a type of pigeon or a symbol of peace.