submerge

1 of 2

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

submergence

2 of 2

noun

sub·​mer·​gence -jən(t)s 

plural -s

1

: the quality or state of being submerged

2

a

: the act of submerging something

b

: the distance or degree to which something is submerged

Synonyms of submerge

Verb

• engulf
• flood
• overwhelm
• drown

Examples of submerge in a Sentence

Verb

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

Verb

The kind where you’re blindfolded, submerged into a dark room, escorted to your seat, and left to experience an entire meal in near-total darkness? — Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026

Bodies, sunken boats and the remains of towns that were submerged when the reservoir was made have also been discovered at Lake Mead when water levels were low. — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026

If using cold water for thawing, place chicken in leakproof packaging, submerge, and allow about 30 minutes for every pound. — Sheena Chihak, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Aug. 2026

Seventy million barrels is the strict physical minimum needed at the top of the caverns to keep the extraction pipes safely submerged in oil rather than water, said Siddharth Misra, a petroleum engineering professor at Texas A&M University. — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

First Known Use

Verb

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

Rhymes for submerge

• converge
• diverge
• emerge
• upsurge
• demiurge
• dirge
• merge
• purge
• scourge
• serge
• splurge
• spurge

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