snorkel

snorkel — noun

1. a curved plastic tube that rises above the water's surface so a person swimming

1.nounA2
Definition

a curved plastic tube that rises above the water's surface so a person swimming face down can keep breathing

Example

Olivia put her snorkel into her mouth before lowering her face into the sea.

Bao's snorkel kept fogging up, so he cleaned it with a little soap.

partitive genitive: person's + snorkel; collocation: fog up

Common collocations
  • mask and snorkel
  • snorkel set
  • snorkel tube
  • use a snorkel
  • wear a snorkel
Synonyms
  • breathing tube

    general term for any tube used for breathing underwater, not specific to swimming

  • snorkel tube

    emphasises the equipment piece; sometimes used in product descriptions

Usage Note

Often bought as part of a set with a mask and fins. The British spelling for the related activity is snorkelling; the American spelling is snorkeling.

Common Mistakes

I bought a snorkel for scuba diving.
I bought a snorkel for snorkelling.
A snorkel is the tube; snorkelling is the activity of swimming with it.

snorkel — verb

Word family

  • snorkelling
    nounA2
  • snorkeller
    nounB1
  • snorkeler
    nounB1
  • snorkeling
    nounA2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Snorkelling keeps you at the surface with your face in the water, breathing through a tube. Scuba diving requires a tank of compressed air and lets you stay underwater for much longer at greater depths. Free diving (or breath-hold diving) means going underwater without any breathing equipment. Ordinary swimming does not involve keeping your face underwater for extended periods. If you want to watch coral without heavy gear, choose snorkelling. For deep exploration, choose scuba diving. For a challenge, try free diving.

snorkel ↗scuba divefree diveswim ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • mask and snorkel
  • snorkel set
  • go snorkelling

Prepositions

Etymology

GermanEnglish

Snorkel comes from the German word 'Schnorchel,' which originally meant 'snort' or 'nose.' During World War II, the German navy used the word for a tube that let submarines run their engines while underwater, and after the war the term was adopted for the swimmer's breathing tube.