Past Tense of Dive | Explanation & Examples
The simple past tense of dive is “dove” or “dived” (e.g., “She dove/dived into the cold water”).
The past participle of “dive” is “dived” (e.g., “I have never dived off a 10-meter platform”).
In British English, the past tense of “dive” is “dived,” not “dove.”
| Simple past tense of dive | Past participle of dive |
|---|---|
| In last week’s class, we dove/dived into the main topic for this semester. [American English] | He’s clearly dived in head first without thinking. |
| In last week’s lecture, we dived into the main topic for this semester. [British English] | They had never dived in the Caribbean before. |
Dived or dove
In American English, the simple past tense of the verb “dive” is dove or dived. In British English, the simple past tense of “dive” is “dived.”
The past participle of “dive” is “dived” in both American and British English.
[Simple past form: US English]
The water was warm, so he dived straight in.
[Simple past form: US and UK English]
You shouldn’t have dived in because the water was too shallow.
[Past participle form: US and UK English]
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Citation
Reasoning
Frequently asked questions about the past tense of dive?
- Is it dived or dove?
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You can use dived or dove as the simple past tense of dive in American English (e.g., “We dove/dived on our vacation last year”).
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker will help you to use the correct past tense verb forms in your writing.
- What is the past tense of scuba dive?
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The past tense of scuba dive is “scuba dove” or “scuba dived” because the past tense of dive is “dove” or “dived.”
However, the verb “scuba dive” is not typically used in the simple past tense. You normally use the phrase “go scuba diving” (e.g., “We went scuba diving there on vacation last year”).
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker helps you to pick up mistakes with tricky verbs like “dive.”
- What is the past participle of dive?
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The past participle of dive is “dived” (e.g., “Have you ever dived in Florida?”).
The past tense of dive is “dove” or “dived” in American English and “dived” in British English.
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you correct mistakes with tricky verbs like “dive.”
