delve
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
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to inquire or research deeply or intensively (for information, etc)
he delved in the Bible for quotations
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to search or rummage (in a drawer, the pockets, etc)
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(esp of an animal) to dig or burrow deeply (into the ground, etc)
-
archaic (also tr) to dig or turn up (earth, a garden, etc), as with a spade
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing delve
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"The Devil and Tom Walker" by Washington Irving
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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.
They even delve into the order and timing of the deaths of the clients, which is particularly tricky when it involves a married couple.
From MarketWatch • May 15, 2026
Other topics we delve into include retirement after a divorce, a weekend in Venice on a budget and the benefits of playing pickle ball for people with Parkinson’s.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026
"When I was about 17 I realised I wanted to dance full-time and that's when I started to delve into contemporary and ballet and other different styles," she said.
From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026
Liu said he recognizes that designers, after a time, get fatigued with profit-driven conglomerates and begin to delve into other art forms.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026
The CIA finally had to learn how to delve into the heart of the Soviet Union itself.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
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.
