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.
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Digging.
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.
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to unearth, obtain, or remove by digging (often followed by up orout ).
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to find or discover by effort or search.
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to poke, thrust, or force (usually followed by in orinto ).
He dug his heel into the ground.
noun
-
digs
plural
verb phrase
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dig up
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to discover in the course of digging.
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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
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to dig trenches, as in order to defend a position in battle.
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to maintain one's opinion or position.
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to start eating.
-
-
dig out
-
to remove earth or debris from by digging.
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to hollow out by digging.
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to find by searching.
to dig out facts for a term paper.
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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.
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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
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(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
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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:
First up, hosts Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers dig into what is causing inflation and why bananas should actually cost more than they do.
From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2026
But when you dig into the scientific research, the findings are more nuanced.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
The drain was discovered during the dig in a grassy open space at the former hospital.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
Speaking over Zoom from New York, dressed in his typical wardrobe of black shirt and black sport jacket, Mungiu is wryly amused when I ask if that Dracula dig was inspired by personal experience.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
I dig out my pen and sketchbook from my backpack.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
"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
Dig into one’s ideas too much, and eventually they’ll become hollow.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026
Dig deeper, though, and you can see why the Fed might have held fire anyway.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
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 deeper: Moon launches are having a moment.
From MarketWatch ● May 21, 2026
I started to follow it, then remembered to run back and grab my textbook off of the Dig Dug game, just like David had in the movie.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
The Escondida mine in northern Chile yearly digs up around five percent of the world's copper, which is essential for the energy transition, artificial intelligence and defense.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Further digs could take place in the future.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
The abrupt exits have frazzled some of the city’s elder statesmen, chagrined politicians—and prompted some chief executives to make not-so-subtle digs at their former neighbors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
You show up with whatever you have, even if you think you have nothing, and you’ll find that doing so digs solutions out of you that you didn’t know you had.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
Father digs, turning over rotten stalks as mulch for seeding the new crop.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
“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
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
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
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
Albertsons is still digging out of its 2022 attempt to sell itself to Kroger for $20 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
A video posted by the police shows people digging through collapsed remains of a residential building in Pryluky.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Detectives began digging on Tuesday in the remote area of Lancaster on a property next to a ramshackle home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
"The study was to be conducted before the excavation and digging", not after, said local artist Salwa Mahmoud.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
Coal remembered the feeling of the asphalt digging into his knees.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
But I was interested in the fact that he accumulated so much power, and so that was the basis on which I dug in back in 2022.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
Exploring the dunes at night, Raul saw many scorpions searching for prey but as temperatures rose after sunrise, the scorpion dug into the sand to escape the intense heat.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
The track hoe operator repeatedly spun the machine to the west, dug into a mound of sand, spun 180 degrees and dropped the sand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
They dug into the results for “occupations where we absolutely need them in society,” but where “we know the earnings are really low,” like education and social work, Velez said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
Swiftly, her teeth gritted, she dug in the soil with her hands and lifted the ratatoska into it, covering it with earth, so that the lavellans wouldn’t eat it.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
