Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
DIVE
I. verb (dived or dove; dived; also dove; diving) see: dip Date: before 12th century intransitive verb
1. to plunge into water intentionally and especially headfirst, submerge ,
2. to come or drop down precipitously ; plunge , to plunge one's hand into something, to descend in a dive,
3. to plunge into some matter or activity , to plunge or dash for some place , transitive verb to thrust into something, to cause to dive ,
Usage: Dive, which was originally a weak verb , developed a past tense dove, probably by analogy with verb s like drive, drove. Dove exists in some British dialects and has become the standard past tense especially in speech in some parts of Canada. In the United States dived and dove are both widespread in speech as past tense and past participle, with dove less common than dived in the south Midland area, and dived less common than dove in the Northern and north Midland areas. In writing, the past tense dived is usual in British English and somewhat more common in American English. Dove seems relatively rare as a past participle in writing.
II. noun
Date: 1700
the act or an instance of diving: as, a. a plunge into water executed in a prescribed manner, a submerging of a submarine, a steep descent of an airplane at greater than the maximum horizontal speed, a sharp decline, a shabby and disreputable establishment (as a bar or nightclub), a faked knockout, an offensive play in football in which the ballcarrier plunges into the line for short yardage