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.
-
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.
-
-
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.
-
-
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
-
(tr; often foll by out or up) to obtain by digging
to dig potatoes
to dig up treasure
-
(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
-
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:
"But I could feel their willingness to do well, and so for them to have to dig really deep, and to see everybody having that feeling that we all crave, that's why we're all here."
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
To ease nerves about giving large amounts of money while you’re still alive, dig into the numbers.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2026
The first baseman failed to dig it out, resulting in a devastating error to open the door for a comeback.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
This was perceived as a dig against Eduardo, mockingly nicknamed "little banana."
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
“Most kids like to dig in the dirt,” Mom said.
From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold
"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
“We dig, dig, dig. We call it the stone way, the way of stones.”
From The Guardian ● Sep. 17, 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
Dig into one’s ideas too much, and eventually they’ll become hollow.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 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
Cava, despite the broader company’s stock decline, was still packed with salad-hungry customers; so were Naya and Dig Inn.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
Dig deeper: Moon launches are having a moment.
From MarketWatch ● May 21, 2026
Dig, nag, dig, nag, goes Ma, and then BOOM!
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
Aarthi Swaminathan digs into what’s behind the trend and what it means for buyers who do need a mortgage.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
If those celebrations aren’t quite justified, there’s still something to be learned from the ordeal, which digs into the so-called dead internet theory.
From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2026
The apex predators were extirpated in the state in the 1920s, beginning to naturally recolonize their native digs only 15 years ago.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
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 digs through her pocket and offers Andre a handful of crumpled bills.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
“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
"When you catch the scent of the truffle, when the dog starts digging, and he plants himself there and doesn't give up... it gives you goosebumps."
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
You walk down the street with him and there’s a bunch of ConEd guys digging a hole in the street — you think, “Uh-oh, these guys are gonna want him to sign their jackhammer.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
Another tree went to friends in Providence—archaeologists who, as one said, take the long view and are good at digging.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
“Nithya has also been willing to listen to and engage community members on key issues, rather than digging her heels in to advance special interests,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
As if he didn’t have a worry in the world, he sat down on his rear and started digging at a flea that wasn’t even there.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
The Houthis “present the Saudi leadership with few viable military options against an adversary that is well-entrenched, dug in, and has far less to lose from a grinding war of attrition,” Ulrichsen said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Goalkeeper Scott Bain excelled in goal for Falkirk against his former club - as O'Neill acknowledged - and Falkirk dug in when they needed to get over the line.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
On Saturday, preparations were underway for the victims' funerals the following day and church officials had dug a mass grave, which will become a memorial.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026
A decade ago, Rams owner Stan Kroenke and Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. happily dug ceremonial shovels into the dirt at Hollywood Park, celebrating the impending construction of the world’s most expensive stadium.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Torak gripped the flint flake so hard that it dug into his palm.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
