digger

American  

[dig-er] / ˈdɪg ər /

noun

1. a person or an animal that digs.

2. a tool, part of a machine, etc., for digging.

3. Also called Digger Indian.  (initial capital letter) a member of any of several Indian peoples of western North America, especially of a tribe that dug roots for food.

4. an Australian or New Zealand soldier of World War I.

5. (initial capital letter) a member of a group that advocated the abolition of private property and began in 1649 to cultivate certain common lands.

6. Slang. a person hired by a scalper to buy tickets to a show or performance for resale by the scalper at inflated prices.

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Digger ¹ British  

/ ˈdɪɡə /

noun

1. archaic (sometimes not capital)

   1. an Australian or New Zealander, esp a soldier: often used as a term of address

   2. ( as modifier )

      a Digger accent

2. one of a number of tribes of America whose diet was largely composed of roots dug out of the ground

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digger ² British  

/ ˈdɪɡə /

noun

1. a person, animal, or machine that digs

2. a miner, esp one who digs for gold

3. a tool or part of a machine used for excavation, esp a mechanical digger fitted with a head for digging trenches

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Etymology

Origin of digger

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; dig ¹, -er ¹

Example Sentences

Nesbitt, who grew up near Rochester, N.Y., worked as a grave digger in high school.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

An AFP journalist in Nangarhar's Bihsud district said residents from around the remote and mountainous area joined rescuers in one village, using a digger and shovels to search for bodies under the rubble.

From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026

Julia, a successful businesswoman in textile design, knows that her father will be alarmed at this impetuous engagement and will want to make sure that Johnny isn’t a gold digger.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

The newly identified species has been named Tyrannoroter heberti, which means Hebert's tyrant digger, in recognition of its discoverer, Brian Hebert.

From Science Daily • Feb. 11, 2026

At the stream he was the most useful mussel digger that any boy could have.

From "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George