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.
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digging.
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.
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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)
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.
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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
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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.
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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
-
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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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.
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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
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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
-
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
-
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:
What to know: A comedy about women on an archaeological dig, the show reunites Amy Poehler and “Parks and Recreation” creator Michael Schur, and is based on the novel “Excavations” by Kate Myers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
Looking ahead, higher fuel costs could make shoppers dig deeper, said Phil Lempert, editor of SupermarketGuru.com.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
"It's a new Villa and it was a big test for the new players to dig in," McGinn told Uefa.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
It’s an acting-class exercise designed to make you listen, react and dig into your character’s truth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
That meant a frustrating struggle to dig out the arrowheads, which they couldn’t afford to lose.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
"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
Perpendicular to that, there’s a lunchtime slop-bowl corridor, offering Just Salad, Dig, Cava, and Sweetgreen in one neat little row.
From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026
“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
Dig deeper: Moon launches are having a moment.
From MarketWatch ● May 21, 2026
Dig a little deeper and you find the quote is attributed to Steven Gerrard.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2026
Dig, nag, dig, nag, goes Ma, and then BOOM!
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
You show up with whatever you have, even if you think you have nothing, and you’ll find that doing so digs solutions out of you that you didn’t know you had.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
She said current digs were "really construction projects" where workers had stumbled across historical treasures.
From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026
The author is a dedicated researcher who, in each chapter, digs into archives and personal correspondence to find the most revealing material.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
With their kids, ranging in age from 6 to 26, they visit the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Sean Duffy’s old digs in Boston and the snowy splendor of Montana and Wyoming.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
He digs through his pocket, and comes up with a ring, which he tries to slip onto her third finger.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
“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
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
But he that had received one went and digged in the earth and hid his lord's money.
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
“The person didn’t know they were digging this financial karmic debt with you,” she says.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
It’s not worth digging much into the film’s story; whether you’ve seen the first movie or just have a general outline of it, you’ll be wholly unsurprised by everything that happens in its sequel.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
Against Sabalenka, she showed both facets of her game, bullying her from the baseline and digging in when she had to to leave her a French Open title away from the career Grand Slam.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
“You are digging out your remaining launchers and missiles with no ability to replace them,” Hegseth said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
“And the sweet potatoes will be safe,” Nim said, “when we feel like digging them.”
From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr
Beth Pinsker dug into three factors that couples must consider when planning for retirement if they have an age gap.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
The men dug through his files, seeming to know there was cash somewhere in the safe.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
They later worked together as graduate students at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where they dug through Cold War archives and Soviet research papers about laser fusion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Using excavators and pumping machines, Nepalese rescuers dug a series of trenches from the tunnel all the way to the river outside, so they could drain the water.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
She ran to him and dug her hands into the wet soil of the lochan: he did the same.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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.
