digger

American  

[dig-er] / ˈdɪg ər /

noun

1. a person or an animal that digs.

2. a tool, part of a machine, etc., for digging.

3. Also called Digger Indian.  (initial capital letter) a member of any of several Indian peoples of western North America, especially of a tribe that dug roots for food.

4. an Australian or New Zealand soldier of World War I.

5. (initial capital letter) a member of a group that advocated the abolition of private property and began in 1649 to cultivate certain common lands.

6. Slang. a person hired by a scalper to buy tickets to a show or performance for resale by the scalper at inflated prices.

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Digger ¹ British  

/ ˈdɪɡə /

noun

1. archaic (sometimes not capital)

   1. an Australian or New Zealander, esp a soldier: often used as a term of address

   2. ( as modifier )

      a Digger accent

2. one of a number of tribes of America whose diet was largely composed of roots dug out of the ground

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digger ² British  

/ ˈdɪɡə /

noun

1. a person, animal, or machine that digs

2. a miner, esp one who digs for gold

3. a tool or part of a machine used for excavation, esp a mechanical digger fitted with a head for digging trenches

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Etymology

Origin of digger

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; dig ¹, -er ¹

Example Sentences

She was a strong digger but had no finesse, so he assigned her the task of building up the low ridge that kept the garden soggy when it rained.

From Literature

Eventually, two diggers were deployed on Thursday to dredge a channel for the whale to swim into deeper water, and rescue teams worked late into the day under floodlights to save it.

From BBC

As the diggers reached three feet, a rush of frigid underground water flooded the hole, stopping the search for the peddler’s bones.

From Literature

An AFP journalist in Nangarhar's Bihsud district said residents from around the remote and mountainous area joined rescuers in one village, using a digger and shovels to search for bodies under the rubble.

From Barron's

Julia, a successful businesswoman in textile design, knows that her father will be alarmed at this impetuous engagement and will want to make sure that Johnny isn’t a gold digger.

From The Wall Street Journal