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dig

¹

[dig]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dig ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), dug or (Archaic) digged, dig·ging.

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 or (Archaic) digged, dig·ging.

to break up, turn over, or loosen (earth, sand, etc.), as with a shovel, spade, or bulldozer (often followed by up).

to form or excavate (a hole, tunnel, etc.) by removing material.

to unearth, obtain, or remove by digging (often followed by up or out).

to find or discover by effort or search.

to poke, thrust, or force (usually followed by in or into): He dug his heel into the ground.

noun

thrust; poke: He gave me a dig in the ribs with his elbow.

a cutting, sarcastic remark.

an archaeological site undergoing excavation.

digs, Informal. living quarters; lodgings.

Verb Phrases

dig in,

to dig trenches, as in order to defend a position in battle.
to maintain one's opinion or position.
to start eating.

dig into, Informal. to attack, work, or apply oneself voraciously, vigorously, or energetically: to dig into one's work; to dig into a meal.

dig out,

to remove earth or debris from by digging.
to hollow out by digging.
to find by searching: to dig out facts for a term paper.

dig up,

to discover in the course of digging.
to locate; find: to dig up information.

Origin of dig

¹

1275–1325; Middle English diggen, perhaps representing an OE derivative of dīc ditch; Middle French diguer to dig (< Middle Dutch) is attested later and apparently not the immediate source

dig

²

[dig]

verb (used with object), dug, dig·ging. Slang.

to understand: Can you dig what I'm saying?

to take notice of: Dig those shoes he's wearing.

to like, love, or enjoy: She digs that kind of music. We really dig each other.

Origin of dig

²

1935–40; perhaps < Irish (an) dtuig(eann tú mé?) do you understand me? and parallel expressions with tuigim I understand (see twig²)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for digs

gibe, unearth, search, shovel, drill, dredge, discover, penetrate, exhume, bulldoze, scoop, sift, burrow, clean, enter, uncover, bore, gouge, harvest, excavate

Examples from the Web for digs

Contemporary Examples of digs

De Merode sits at a long table and digs into a plate piled with rice, beans, and avocado.
A Belgian Prince, Gorillas, Guerrillas & the Future of the Congo
Nina Strochlic
November 6, 2014
His digs on Lake Como are a local tourist attraction for women who wish they were Alamuddin.
An Affair to Remember for George and Amal
Barbie Latza Nadeau
September 29, 2014
From confessing his ‘kind of like’ for Boehner to digs at Elizabeth Warren, the 10 best bits.
Speed Read: The Juiciest Bits From Timothy Geithner’s New Memoir
William O’Connor
May 13, 2014
A man in a pinstriped business suit approaches and digs into his pocket.
The Stacks: The Neville Brothers Stake Their Claim as Bards of the Bayou
John Ed Bradley
April 27, 2014
As the East Coast digs out from its latest snow dump, Californians can only look on enviously.
California May Have Its Driest Season in 500 Years
Kate Galbraith
January 24, 2014

Historical Examples of digs

And over at my digs I had it attached to a phonograph by a little invention of my own.
In a Little Town
Rupert Hughes
As a capper he digs up that envelop, to show her there needn't be any hitch in the program.
Shorty McCabe
Sewell Ford
First she digs a hole, in which she places the egg and pushes it well down.
Agriculture for Beginners
Charles William Burkett
Mr. Scott digs up the poacher and cattle-stealers of the ancient Border.
Crotchet Castle
Thomas Love Peacock
He digs light out of the ground and glows up the world with her own sap.
The Voice of the Machines
Gerald Stanley Lee

British Dictionary definitions for digs

digs

pl n

British informal lodgings

Word Origin for digs

C19: shortened from diggings, perhaps referring to where one digs or works, but see also dig in

Dig

noun

NZ informal short for Digger (def. 1)

dig

verb digs, digging or dug

(when tr, often foll by up) 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, etcto dig a tunnel

(often foll by through) to make or force (one's way), esp by removing obstructionshe dug his way through the crowd

(tr; often foll by out or up) to obtain by diggingto dig potatoes; to dig up treasure

(tr; often foll by out or up) to find or discover by effort or searchingto dig out unexpected facts

(tr; foll by in or into) to thrust or jab (a sharp instrument, weapon, etc); pokehe dug his spurs into the horse's side

(tr; foll by in or into) to mix (compost, etc) with soil by digging

(tr) informal to like, understand, or appreciate

(intr) US slang to work hard, esp for an examination

(intr) British informal to have lodgingsI dig in South London

noun

the act of digging

a thrust or poke, esp in the ribs

a cutting or sarcastic remark

informal an archaeological excavation

See also dig in, digs

Word Origin for dig

C13 diggen, of uncertain origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for digs

n.

"lodgings," slang attested from 1893, from dig.

dig

n.

late 17c. as "a tool for digging," from dig (v.). Meaning "archaeological expedition" is from 1896. Meaning "thrust or poke" (as with an elbow) is from 1819; figurative sense of this is from 1840.

dig

v.

early 14c. (diggen), of uncertain origin, perhaps related to dike and ditch, either via Old French diguer (ultimately from a Germanic source), or directly from an unrecorded Old English word. Native words were deolfan (see delve), grafan (see grave (v.)).

Slang sense of "understand" first recorded 1934 in Black English, probably based on the notion of "excavate." A slightly varied sense of "appreciate" emerged 1939. Strong past participle dug appeared 16c., but is not etymological. Related: Digging.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper