submerge

verb

sub·​merge səb-ˈmərj 

submerged; submerging

transitive verb

1

: to put under water

2

: to cover or overflow with water

3

: to make obscure or subordinate : suppress

personal lives submerged by professional responsibilities

intransitive verb

: to go under water

submergence

səb-ˈmər-jən(t)s 

noun

submergible

səb-ˈmər-jə-bəl 

adjective

Synonyms

• deluge
• drown
• engulf
• flood
• gulf
• inundate
• overflow
• overwhelm
• submerse
• swamp

Examples of submerge in a Sentence

After boiling the broccoli, submerge it in ice water to stop the cooking process.

The town was submerged by the flood.

We watched as the divers prepared to submerge.

She's a marvelous actress who submerges herself totally in her roles.

Recent Examples on the Web

Nalo, the god of storms, has hidden it behind raging storms and submerged it in the sea. —Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic, 26 Nov. 2024

Steaming doesn't involve submerging food in water, so fewer nutrients are lost. —Jillian Kubala, Health, 26 Nov. 2024

There are two main types of brining: wet brining, which involves submerging the turkey in a liquid solution; and dry brining, where a salt rub is applied to the surface of the bird. —Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 23 Nov. 2024

Then Gordon Gano started singing, his vocals submerged in the bass-heavy clatter. —Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 22 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin submergere, from sub- + mergere to plunge — more at merge

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

submerge

verb

sub·​merge səb-ˈmərj 

submerged; submerging

1

: to put or go underwater

the whale submerged

2

: to cover or become covered with or as if with water

floods submerged the town