dive in head first

Meanings

1. 1phraseintransitive

   to jump into water with your head entering before your body

   Grammar: No object; often followed by into: dive in head first into the sea.

   Patterns

   • dive in head first into something

   He dived in head first and surfaced a few seconds later.

   The instructor warned us not to dive in head first where the water is shallow.

   She dived in head first from the side of the boat.

2. 2phraseintransitivefigurative

   to begin something new with great energy and without hesitation or caution

   Grammar: No object; usually followed by into: dive in head first into a challenge.

   Patterns

   • dive in head first into something

   When they offered her the promotion, she dived in head first.

   He dived in head first into the startup, working nights and weekends.

   Don't dive in head first without reading the contract first.

Common combinations

dive in head first into

They dived in head first into the new project.

dive in head first from

The boy dived in head first from the rocks.

dive in head first off

She dived in head first off the pier.

Synonyms and how they differ

plunge in

Plunge in often means to start something quickly without preparation; it can be used with or without 'head first' and is slightly more informal.

jump in

Jump in means to enter water or start something quickly, but it does not specify the position of the head.

Opposites

Word family

dive verb

To jump into water, usually head first.

diving noun

The sport or activity of jumping into water.

Commonly confused: dive in head first or dive headfirst?

Practice

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