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Glite Dictionary
to power-dive

to power-dive

1 7.5
To make a plane dive steeply and quickly using engine power
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈpaʊər daɪv/
  • Specialized
: dive controlado
  • As the experienced pilot prepared for the landing, he power-dived the plane to lose altitude quickly.

Examples

  • The fighter jet power-dived towards the ground, demonstrating its incredible speed and agility.

  • I screamed and power-dived away, my shoulder brushing the foul leg of her jumpsuit.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • The aerobatic team executed a stunning power-dive, thrilling the crowd with their precision and control.

Synonyms

to plunge
vsto power-dive
81 3.8

To fall or drop suddenly from a higher to a lower place

is a steep powered descent that is controlled not just a sudden fall
to crash-dive
vsto power-dive
  • Specialized
1 8.1

To go down very steeply and quickly, often for a plane or submarine

is a steep controlled descent powered by the engine rather than sudden

Antonyms

to ascend
51 4.0

To move upward to a higher place, for example up a hill or into the sky

How Steeply

to nosedive
2 5.8
to power-dive
  • Specialized
1 7.5
dive
97 1.0
drop
150 1.0
to descend
169 2.7

Surface Forms

power-dive infinitive
power-diving present participle
power-dives third person singular
power-dove past
power-dived past participle

Morphology

power-dive = power + dive (transparent) = power + dive

The meaning is a straightforward combination: a type of dive characterized by the use or involvement of power/engine thrust.

Etymology

Power-dive joins power ('force' or the engine's push) and dive ('to move quickly down'), so it describes a steep, fast but controlled descent where a pilot uses engine power to 'dive' the aircraft.