dig up
Idioms-
Search out, find, obtain, as in I'm sure I can dig up a few more supporters . [Mid-1800s]
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. 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.
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.
So the next time that they come in and pull somebody out of central casting, they just would want to hire better lawyers to dig up dirt on their own candidate.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
"What do the ECB do, if they have to dig up the pitch and start again? It means no cricket here for two years," ex-New Zealand bowler Simon Doull told Sky Sports.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
Although it is unclear whether the accounts betting on the Iran cease-fire are insiders, an investigation by Polymarket could dig up the truth.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 23, 2026
The company also initially wanted him to dig up the driveway he poured seven years ago, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 17, 2026
“You’re right. I’m being stupid. It’s a treasure hunt, Kuda. We’re going to dig up toys from the ground.”
From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer
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.
