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View synonyms for dig up

dig up

  1. Search out, find, obtain, as in I'm sure I can dig up a few more supporters . [Mid-1800s]

  2. dig up some dirt or the dirt . Find derogatory information about someone or something. For example, The editor assigned him to dig up all the dirt on the candidates . The slangy use of the noun dirt for “embarrassing or scandalous information” dates from about 1840, but this metaphoric expression is a century newer.



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Example Sentences

She also threatened to dig up the body of the president’s father from the Heroes’ Cemetery in Manila and dump the ashes in the sea.

From BBC

In a bid to survive impoverished circumstances, miners and undocumented migrants are increasingly entering closed mines to dig up their remaining deposits.

From BBC

To survive, the miners and undocumented migrants go beneath the surface to escape poverty and dig up gold to sell it on the black market.

From BBC

When Tanton blended ecology with eugenics and immigration, he was digging up the two-century-old principles of Thomas Malthus, who first theorized that human population growth would lead to poverty and suffering.

From Salon

Workers who were digging up soil near the cages were believed to have brought in contaminated soil through their shoes, Hong Kong's Culture, Sports and Tourism Secretary told local broadcaster RTHK.

From BBC

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