delve

American  

[delv] / dɛlv /

verb (used without object)

• delves,
  present (3rd person singular)
• delved,
  past participle,  past
• delving
  present participle

1. to carry on intensive and thorough research for data, information, or the like; investigate.

   to delve into the issue of prison reform.

   Synonyms:

   explore, examine, probe, inquire, research

2. Archaic. to dig, as with a spade.

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verb (used with object)

• delves,
  present (3rd person singular)
• delved,
  past participle,  past
• delving
  present participle

1. Archaic. to dig; excavate.

delve British  

/ dɛlv /

verb

1. to inquire or research deeply or intensively (for information, etc)

   he delved in the Bible for quotations

2. to search or rummage (in a drawer, the pockets, etc)

3. (esp of an animal) to dig or burrow deeply (into the ground, etc)

4. archaic (also tr) to dig or turn up (earth, a garden, etc), as with a spade

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• delver
  noun
• undelved
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• delving
  present
• delved
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• delve
  simple
• delves
  simple
• have delved
  perfect
• has delved
  perfect
• am delving
  progressive
• are delving
  progressive
• is delving
  progressive
• have been delving
  perfect progressive
• has been delving
  perfect progressive

Past

• delved
  simple
• had delved
  perfect
• was delving
  progressive
• were delving
  progressive
• had been delving
  perfect progressive

Future

• will delve
  simple
• will have delved
  perfect
• will be delving
  progressive
• will have been delving
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of delve

First recorded before 900; Middle English delven, Old English delfan; cognate with Dutch delven, Old High German telban

Explanation

The verb delve means to dig into, loosen, or investigate. She delved into her family's history and discovered an inventor, a checkers champion, and a circus equestrian in her ancestry. Delve has a literal meaning of to dig into the earth ("to delve the soil," as in preparing a garden, for example), but this sense is rare now. The verb is most often used in the more figurative sense — like to delve into a problem or into someone's personal life.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

delve delves delved delving

While Prenuvo and Ezra offer a whole-body MRI scan, I've opted for Neko Health, which doesn't delve quite as deeply, and comes with a more modest £299 price tag.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

The meal turned frosty, however, as the group began to delve into specific policy ideas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

A family meeting doesn’t need to delve into numbers.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

As part of a Radio 4 Intrigue podcast series, I had an opportunity to delve into this complex case with fresh eyes.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

I delve through the postcards—I don’t know why or what I’m looking for, I’m just trying to keep panic at bay.

From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins

In a sweeping, very entertaining investigative account, Dan Kois delves into the history and benefits of bar soap and why it’s worth fighting for.

From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026

In Burbank, family-run Tun Lahmajo delves into Armenian homestyle dishes, including flatbreads, cold salads, roasted meats, a range of soups and herbed stews.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

The review delves into various health conditions linked to tea consumption.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 9, 2026

Latifi’s book delves into the world of family vlogging, the vein of internet fame centered around the daily lives of parents and their kids.

From Salon ● May 10, 2026

The Mouse makes merry ’mid the Larder Shelves, The Bird for Dinner in the Garden delves.

From The Rubáiyát of a Persian Kitten by Oliver Herford

WSJ delved into the unraveling of an investing powerhouse that primarily bought stocks in the AI trade.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

As Amicus delved into popular constitutionalism—the process by which ordinary people shape constitutional meaning—we came across Lyle Cherneff’s work on a largely forgotten American story that captures the concept in action.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

The 65-year-old comedian divulged his 25 favourite moments as incompetent office manager Brent and delved into the inspiration behind some of his most memorable lines.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

Greenspan started a consulting firm where he delved into economic and manufacturing data, a habit that would become the trademark -- he was known for poring over statistics in his bathtub.

From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026

The left eye delved narrowly into the past while the right gazed wide and affrighted into a future of blackness, error, and ruin.

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers

And whether down to heatwaves sending more people outdoors, or younger people delving into birding, these apps are booming in popularity.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

“I took care of mom for 20 years before her dementia started,” she said, delving into some of the long history of their mother’s manic-depressive behavior.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

There are four galleries, each delving into a specific period: “Early Life to Becoming a Patriot 1732-1775”; “Revolutionary Leader 1775-1783”; “Mount Vernon to the Constitution 1784-1788”; “Presidency to Final Act 1789-1799.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

"Is the iPhone Birth Control?" asked a paper published Monday by the National Bureau of Economic Research, delving into why US fertility rates have fallen by 22 percent since 2007.

From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026

Keep in mind that any lesson can be made into an arts-integrated one, by simply delving in deeper to the art form itself to find structural details and meaning from which to draw.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Related Words

• burrow
• inquire