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
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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
-
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.
-
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.
-
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
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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
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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:
"I keep wanting them to let me dig it up and put something else in it that's not as good."
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
The material was already buried when Constance arrived and it was his job to dig a 6m-deep trench around the outside of the mound before it was sealed using plastic membrane sheets and liquid clay.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Friedman and Gomes were intrigued enough to have their group dig into the evolution of Heyward’s swing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Polish and German soldiers worked for five weeks at the frontier to dig trenches, lay barbed wire and place long lines of concrete barriers known as "hedgehogs" across the landscape.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Whenever a swarm of pixies would hover around a particular spot of rock, the miners knew precisely where they should dig.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
"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
“You can really see the impact she had on them,” said Kellie Jones, a scholar and independent curator who organized “Now Dig This!: Art and Black Los Angeles 1960-1980” at the Hammer Museum in 2011.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Cava, despite the broader company’s stock decline, was still packed with salad-hungry customers; so were Naya and Dig Inn.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
Dig deeper: Palantir pioneered the hottest job in tech.
From MarketWatch ● May 4, 2026
In 1985, Nepal’s Dig Tsho lake, in the Everest region, burst after part of a hanging glacier fell into it, destroying houses and infrastructure below.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026
At last, he said, “All right, boys! Dig in!”
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
Ridley Scott returns with post-apocalyptic film ‘The Dog Stars,’ found-footage horror comes to Broadway with ‘Paranormal Activity,’ a posthumous release digs into Prince’s archives, and more.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
She digs into why it’s so appealing—and why it’s also become the most abused trope on BookTok.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
But judging by Barker’s shallow screenplay, I doubt that it will be too long before someone digs deeper, striking an unassailable, solid-gold classic.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
Both of the youngsters fledged, or took their first flight from the nest, but are still hanging around their natal digs, enjoying parental food deliveries and protection from intruders.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
I watch as he digs in his pocket for his phone and checks the message.
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
“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
But he that had received one went and digged in the earth and hid his lord's money.
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
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
Hampton Court and Chiswick have also stopped digging over flowerbeds and relaxed about weeds.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
I told him I didn’t know yet but that I’d do some digging.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
Lindsey and Lynette Melvin told the news station they first thought they were digging up bones of a bighorn sheep until they came across the jawbone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Monahan described the soldiers as "doing an utterly phenomenal job digging trenches and also helping us build fire breaks".
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
The details in the lobby—the old posters and preserved light fixtures that had been the fruits of countless salvage trips and digging through neighboring theater basements—were one thing.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
After the US-led coalition liberated Kuwait in 1991, American troops dug in.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
The poor server desperately dug for his life in the lost and found cabinet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Wooden baskets swinging behind them, the Flemings and Schifferles darted between trees, dug through patches of ivy and peered beneath shrubs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Shellfish, bread, beer circulate around firepits dug into sand.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 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.
