submarining

Verb

submarine (third-person singular simple present submarines, present participle submarining, simple past and past participle submarined)

1. (intransitive) To operate or serve on a submarine.
2. (transitive) To torpedo; to destroy with a sudden sneak attack.
   • “We’re really at the point of chicken, where the Fed is trying to ward off inflation without submarining the economy.”2007 April 13, The Associated Press, “Shares Up as Investors Ponder Retail Data”, in New York Times
3. (figuratively, intransitive, sometimes) To sink or submerge oneself.
   • The second their center snapped the ball, I submarined between the big guy's legs and tackled the halfback.2003, Homer H. Grantham, Thunder in the Morning: A World War II Memoir, page 1
4. (intransitive) To slide forwards underneath one's seat belt (during a crash or sudden stop).
   • The seatback should always be up while driving so that the occupant doesn't submarine and potentially suffer severe internal injury.

See all 11 meanings of submarine