Meaning & use
submerge
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To put something completely under the surface of a liquid.
Grammar: Takes an object: submerge the vegetables in water.
Patterns
- submerge something in something
- submerge something under something
Submerge the eggs in boiling water for three minutes.
The flood submerged the lower fields under two meters of water.
verbintransitive
To go completely under the surface of a liquid.
Grammar: No object; the subject does the going: the submarine submerged.
Patterns
- submerge in something
- submerge beneath something
The whale submerged and disappeared from view.
The diver submerged slowly to avoid disturbing the fish.
verbtransitivefigurative
To hide or cover something completely so that it is no longer visible.
Grammar: Often used figuratively: submerge your doubts.
Patterns
- submerge something in something
She submerged her worries in work.
The village was submerged by the rising tide.
Word forms
| third person singular | submerges |
|---|---|
| past tense | submerged |
| past participle | submerged |
| -ing form | submerging |
Common combinations
- submerge in water
- Submerge the cloth in water before cleaning.
- completely submerge
- The high tide completely submerged the path.
- submerge yourself in
- He submerged himself in the music.
- partially submerge
- The rocks are partially submerged at high tide.
Synonyms and how they differ
- immerse
- Often suggests putting something into liquid for a purpose, like cooking or cleaning; submerge is more neutral about going under.
- dunk
- Informal and suggests a quick dip; submerge can be longer or complete.
- sink
- Focuses on going down, often by weight; submerge focuses on being under the surface.
Opposites
Word family
- submersion noun
- The act of going or putting under water.
- submersible adjective
- Designed to operate under water.
Commonly confused: submerge or emerge?
submerge vs emerge
Emerge means to come out of water or appear; submerge means to go under.
Practice
The heavy rain ______ the road under a foot of water.
Choose one answer.
Submerged fits because the road went completely under water. Emerged means came out, floated means stayed on the surface, and dived means went in headfirst, which don't fit the context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “submerge”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.