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

Avoid entering basements or rooms where electrical outlets or cords are submerged in water. — Star-Telegram Weather Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 June 2026

Avoid entering basements or rooms where electrical outlets or cords are submerged in water. — Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 18 June 2026

Maddie was submerged underwater for several minutes before she was freed from her seat belt by first responders. — Sydni Ellis, PEOPLE, 18 June 2026

Then in September, floods drowned islanders living in Clarendon and submerged what was left of the banana harvest. — Literary Hub, 16 June 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