mergulhar

Senses

1. 1.

   to dive, to plunge

   To jump or submerge oneself into water

2. 2.

   to immerse, to submerge

   To place or put something completely under water or liquid

3. 3.

   to immerse oneself, to dive into

   To become deeply involved or absorbed in an activity, subject, or experience (figurative)

Examples

• "Ele mergulhou na piscina de cabeça."

  He dove into the pool headfirst.

• "Vou mergulhar os legumes na água fervente."

  I'm going to immerse the vegetables in boiling water.

• "Ela decidiu mergulhar nos estudos para passar no vestibular."

  She decided to immerse herself in her studies to pass the college entrance exam.

Usage

Common collocations include "mergulhar de cabeça" (to dive headfirst, literally or figuratively into something). The figurative sense is very common in Brazilian Portuguese. The preposition "em" typically follows: "mergulhar em algo" (to dive into something).