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

Water submerged streets and highways, broke dams and derailed a high-speed train. —Christopher F. Schuetze, New York Times, 3 June 2024

Jones said the railing on a roadway had been submerged by floodwaters, leading to the accident and his car drifting to a pedestrian bridge before becoming stuck in the drainage ditch. —Li Cohen, CBS News, 31 May 2024

These lures are great for skipping under docks and other overhead cover, as well as overtop submerged cover like points, humps, flats, and ditches. —Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 30 May 2024

The scientists wanted to simulate different potential flooding scenarios—everything from heavy rain soaking the soil for a bit to a flood totally submerging the area. —Popular Science Staff, Popular Science, 22 May 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