dig in

British  

verb

1. military to create (a defensive position) by digging foxholes, trenches, etc

2. informal to entrench (oneself) firmly

3. informal (intr) to defend or maintain a position firmly, as in an argument

4. informal (intr) to begin vigorously to eat

   don't wait, just dig in

5. informal to refuse stubbornly to move or be persuaded

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dig in Idioms  

1. Excavate trenches to defend oneself in battle and hold one's position, as in The battalion dug in and held on . This usage gained currency in the trench warfare of World War I. [Mid-1800s]

2. Also, dig in one's heels . Adopt a firm position, be obstinate and unyielding. For example, Arthur refused to argue the point and simply dug in , or The dog dug in its heels and refused to move . [ Colloquial ; late 1800s]

3. Begin to work intensively, as in If we all dig in it'll be done before dark. [ Colloquial ; second half of 1800s]

4. Also, dig into . Begin to eat heartily, as in Even before all the food was on the table they began to dig in , or When the bell rang, the kids all dug into their lunches . [ Colloquial ; early 1900s]

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Example Sentences

She’ll drop jokes, bits and digs in between the projected slugfest between “One Battle After Another,” “Sentimental Value” and “Sinners.”

From Salon

You want to try and dig in for your team sometimes.

From Barron's

Chelsea showed their resilience when they fought back from 2-0 down to draw with Newcastle and I can see them digging in again here, to end Villa's winning run.

From BBC

The West Indies openers reached 43-0 at the close, with John Campbell digging in to score two from 50 balls as Brandon King made 37.

From BBC

"But we've just got to keep digging in and keep scrapping away and see what we can do."

From Barron's