submerge

verb

sub·​merge səb-ˈmərj How to pronounce submerge (audio)
submerged; submerging
Synonyms of submerge

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 How to pronounce submerge (audio)
noun
submergible
səb-ˈmər-jə-bəl How to pronounce submerge (audio)
adjective

Synonyms of submerge

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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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Halfway through, Brill pulls out a machine that fills the stage with foam, submerging the actors in a cumulus of bubbles. — Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 But danger remained as waves crashed into beachfront homes in Long Beach, large rocks and mud hurtled down a mountain onto a highway south of Palm Desert, and flood water submerged the parking lot of a casino on the Las Vegas Strip. — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026 Oceanfront homes in coastal California cities, such as Long Beach and Newport Beach, were partially submerged as heavy surf breached sand berms that had been erected to keep the water away. — Adrian Florido, NPR, 11 Oct. 2026 Rising sea levels risk submerging low-lying habitats, and increasingly severe droughts threaten to dry up food and shade. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for submerge

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of submerge was in the 15th century

Rhymes for submerge

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Browse Nearby Words

submenu
submerge
submerged
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Cite this Entry

“Submerge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/submerge. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

submerge

verb
sub·​merge səb-ˈmərj How to pronounce submerge (audio)
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
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