dig
verb (used without object)
to break up, turn over, or remove earth, sand, etc., as with a shovel, spade, bulldozer, or claw; make an excavation.
dig
1 American
[dig]
/ dɪg /
verb (used without object)
dug,
digged,
digging
-
to break up, turn over, or remove earth, sand, etc., as with a shovel, spade, bulldozer, or claw; make an excavation.
-
to make one's way or work by or as by removing or turning over material.
to dig through the files.
verb (used with object)
dug,
digged,
digging
-
to break up, turn over, or loosen (earth, sand, etc.), as with a shovel, spade, or bulldozer (often followed byup ).
-
to form or excavate (a hole, tunnel, etc.) by removing material.
-
to unearth, obtain, or remove by digging (often followed by up orout ).
-
to find or discover by effort or search.
-
to poke, thrust, or force (usually followed by in orinto ).
He dug his heel into the ground.
noun
-
digs
plural
verb phrase
-
dig up
-
to discover in the course of digging.
-
to locate; find.
to dig up information.
-
-
dig into to attack, work, or apply oneself voraciously, vigorously, or energetically: to dig into a meal.
to dig into one's work;
to dig into a meal.
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dig in
-
to dig trenches, as in order to defend a position in battle.
-
to maintain one's opinion or position.
-
to start eating.
-
-
dig out
-
to remove earth or debris from by digging.
-
to hollow out by digging.
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to find by searching.
to dig out facts for a term paper.
-
dig
2
American
[dig]
/ dɪg /
verb (used with object)
Slang.
dug,
digging
-
to understand.
Can you dig what I'm saying?
-
to take notice of.
Dig those shoes he's wearing.
-
to like, love, or enjoy.
She digs that kind of music. We really dig each other.
dig.
3
American
abbreviation
dig
1
British
/ dɪɡ /
verb
-
to cut into, break up, and turn over or remove (earth, soil, etc), esp with a spade
-
to form or excavate (a hole, tunnel, passage, etc) by digging, usually with an implement or (of animals) with feet, claws, etc
to dig a tunnel
-
(often foll by through) to make or force (one's way), esp by removing obstructions
he dug his way through the crowd
-
(tr; often foll by out or up) to obtain by digging
to dig potatoes
to dig up treasure
-
(tr; often foll by out or up) to find or discover by effort or searching
to dig out unexpected facts
-
(tr; foll by in or into) to thrust or jab (a sharp instrument, weapon, etc); poke
he dug his spurs into the horse's side
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(tr; foll by in or into) to mix (compost, etc) with soil by digging
-
informal (tr) to like, understand, or appreciate
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slang (intr) to work hard, esp for an examination
-
informal (intr) to have lodgings
I dig in South London
noun
-
the act of digging
-
a thrust or poke, esp in the ribs
-
a cutting or sarcastic remark
-
informal an archaeological excavation
Dig
2
British
/ dɪɡ /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of dig1
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English diggen, deggen; perhaps from Middle French diguer “to dig,” from the same Germanic source as ditch ( def. )
Origin of dig2
First recorded in 1935–40; origin uncertain; perhaps the same as dig 1 ( def. )
Explanation
When you dig, you scoop or shovel up dirt, sand, or some other material. Your dog might whine to go outside so she can dig a hole in your dad's garden. You can dig with your hands, a shovel, or even a tractor or backhoe. City crews dig up roads to repair water pipes, and gardeners dig small for planting bulbs. You can even say you dig your brother in the side when you jab him there. If someone says, "I dig you," they mean, "I understand," and if they say, "I dig your outfit," they like it. Both slang usages come from 1930s African American English.
Vocabulary lists containing dig
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
They dig into the research on socioeconomic integration, the tendency to conflate race and class, and the problem with asking individual parents to solve what is really a policy problem.
From Slate ● Sep. 24, 2026
But in order to survive the woods, Murphy will have to dig deep into his wartime past and rely on his own skills and smarts to make out it out intact.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
They dig Patrick, they want to play golf with Patrick, but we’re nowhere close to a deal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Or Root, who had to rummage around his garage to dig out his old captain's blazer.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
“Because they’re trying to dig up the past to put it in display boxes. I’m trying to unearth magic.”
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
"There were some other amazing finds on the dig. It was a field of dreams."
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2023
“That’s fine. I can dig. Wouldn’t trust anyone under 30 who didn’t poke at his or her or their elders. But it doesn’t mean that I or we have got to oblige.”
From New York Times ● Feb. 19, 2020
“When all else fails, we were instructed to dig. The clams are always there. There’s food waiting there.”
From The Guardian ● Mar. 15, 2019
When Hope asks him if he’s off by himself looking for gold, he answers: “No. I just like to dig. I used to live in a hole.”
From Washington Post ● Apr. 15, 2016
“He says if we want to eat, we must dig. Our ration depends on our progress.”
From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys
Perpendicular to that, there’s a lunchtime slop-bowl corridor, offering Just Salad, Dig, Cava, and Sweetgreen in one neat little row.
From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026
Dig through that stack of mail on your counter for circulars and search your email inbox for any grocery-store brand names to scope out advertised deals.
From MarketWatch ● May 22, 2026
Discussing the Strictly role on the new episode of her Dig It podcast, Ball said: "I didn't get it, but it's OK."
From BBC ● May 12, 2026
Dig into Audemars Piguet’s watchmaking process with these images and interviews with horological experts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 28, 2025
“Thank goodness. Dig in, guys. I got fried chicken for you, Jake. Salad for Emma. Rotisserie chicken for me. And mashed potatoes for everybody!”
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
Stevens digs into the drink’s history and tells a fascinating tale about Prohibition and the delicious outcome of cultural fusion between the U.S. and Mexico.
From Slate ● Sep. 21, 2026
They are the items most likely to be on student insurance claims - after being stolen from digs, cars, public transport and bars and restaurants.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
She said current digs were "really construction projects" where workers had stumbled across historical treasures.
From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026
But it’s not because the Sparks’ ownership wanted to do what Mark Davis did with the Las Vegas Aces when he was the first owner to provide fancy new digs in 2023.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
She digs through her pocket and offers Andre a handful of crumpled bills.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
“It seemed like it digged the piece,” Aitken said, as wide-eyed and sincere as he is when talking about all of his work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2024
Then, as a double precaution against double voting, each digged his fingers in a pot of indelible ink and presented his forearm to let one square inch of hair be shaved off.
From Time Magazine Archive
Spade never digged a pit as murky, foul, treacherous as that which gapes for the spirit of a golfer who is off his form.
From Time Magazine Archive
But he that had received one went and digged in the earth and hid his lord's money.
From Time Magazine Archive
Men were laboring with Mattocks & Axes & Picks & rustic Grubbing Hoes — & together they digged out & built up the Breastworks & Redoubts at the Eminence of the Hill.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
Some aspiring buyers are digging into retirement funds or seeking out government programs to help them get over the down-payment hump.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
Bossy’s direction raises the clamorous volume instead of sorting out the disordered structure or digging into the unexamined silences.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
These two shocking facts have been revealed by the diligent digging of finance professors Joshua White of Vanderbilt University and Sean Wilkoff of the University of Nevada, Reno.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
It’s not worth digging much into the film’s story; whether you’ve seen the first movie or just have a general outline of it, you’ll be wholly unsurprised by everything that happens in its sequel.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
Instead, he’d thrown himself into keeping the mushroom alive: fertilizing the surrounding trees so they’d offer more shade, digging tiny channels to direct rainwater, building a fence.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Who is Rui Pinto - the convicted hacker computer hacker who dug into Man City?
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
Southern California work crews were doing some routine excavation recently when they dug up one very strange animal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
Beth Pinsker dug into three factors that couples must consider when planning for retirement if they have an age gap.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
Message boards erupted, and Neal, the YouTuber who regularly recapped “Bachelor” episodes on his show, dug into the paternity fray.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
I dug my fingers into the back of his coat.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
