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.
Trump has said the US will now work "with Iran" to "dig up and remove all of the deeply buried… Nuclear Dust".
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
That set off days of intensive efforts using boats to make waves, then excavators to dig up sand and free the whale, as fears grew for its life.
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
His reference to Tolkien’s letters from the North Pole reminded me of how we used to dig up our yard to make sled tracks and reindeer footprints to create awe and wonder for our kids.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025
Own shares of the companies that dig up what China needs.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 16, 2025
I bought some plastic cups on my last recycling run, and tomorrow I’m going to dig up all those seedlings and sneak them into Rockledge.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
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.
