dig
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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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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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)
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to break up, turn over, or loosen (earth, sand, etc.), as with a shovel, spade, or bulldozer (often followed byup ).
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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
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.
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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.
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dig out
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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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verb (used with object)
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to understand.
Can you dig what I'm saying?
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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.
abbreviation
verb
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to cut into, break up, and turn over or remove (earth, soil, etc), esp with a spade
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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
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(often foll by through) to make or force (one's way), esp by removing obstructions
he dug his way through the crowd
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(tr; often foll by out or up) to obtain by digging
to dig potatoes
to dig up treasure
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(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
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the act of digging
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a thrust or poke, esp in the ribs
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a cutting or sarcastic remark
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informal an archaeological excavation
noun
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. )
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.
"In London, you've got a lasagne. You can dig all the way down to prehistory or you've got very recent Victorian and Edwardian archaeology there as well."
From BBC
In a group thread about digging through digital archives, one friend asked if we found any fun blasts from the past.
When investigative journalist Emanuel Karlsten began digging deeper, he found that the song was registered to a group of executives connected to Stellar Music, a music publishing and marketing firm based in Denmark.
From BBC
Some investors will want to dig into individual stocks.
From MarketWatch
"It's very sandy ground, access, 7,000 metre cubed of material in there approximately, but that's not when you've dug the hole - when you dig the hole and refill it, you could double that."
From BBC
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.
