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.
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.
to unearth, obtain, or remove by digging (often followed by up orout ).
to find or discover by effort or search.
to poke, thrust, or force (usually followed by in orinto ).
He dug his heel into the ground.
dig up
to discover in the course of digging.
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.
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 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.
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.
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
(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
(tr; foll by in or into) to mix (compost, etc) with soil by digging
informal (tr) to like, understand, or appreciate
slang (intr) to work hard, esp for an examination
informal (intr) to have lodgings
I dig in South London
the act of digging
a thrust or poke, esp in the ribs
a cutting or sarcastic remark
informal an archaeological excavation
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English diggen, deggen; perhaps from Middle French diguer “to dig,” from the same Germanic source as ditch ( def. )
First recorded in 1935–40; origin uncertain; perhaps the same as dig 1 ( def. )
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.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
After all, he will be the one who needs to dig up this information.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
It challenges you to dig into parts of your soul you never knew existed and taxes the limits of your heart.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Readers can dig into a character's psychology, historical context, or a philosophical concept -- no separate research required.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Iran faces an enormous, costly and time-consuming effort to dig out from under the damage caused by the U.S. and Israeli attacks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Frederick and Bruno once tried to dig down to their hoard but gave up after they dug twelve feet and still couldn’t see a thing.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
"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
“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 deep enough into almost any large company and you will find something that troubles someone.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
Dig leader Peter Crawley said he had a gut feeling about the site before the excavation began.
From BBC ● Jan. 7, 2026
In my peripheral vision I was able to make out a Dig Dug game on my left and a Zaxxon machine to my right.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
But judging by Barker’s shallow screenplay, I doubt that it will be too long before someone digs deeper, striking an unassailable, solid-gold classic.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
The higher prices helped reshape the market, encouraging more fossils to come up for sale while giving commercial paleontologists more resources to fund costly and yearslong digs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Her mother had not communicated with Chapman’s brother about this very effectively — which was not a new pattern of behavior, but a problem dating back to childhood that Chapman digs into in her book.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
The PAC will be asking some awkward questions as it digs around royal leases and finds out what is being paid.
From BBC ● May 14, 2026
He shakes his head and digs in his pocket.
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
“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
But he that had received one went and digged in the earth and hid his lord's money.
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
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
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
Zemian, who had also been uncuffed, started digging through the SUV, collecting spare tactical vests, then propped them underneath the agent’s head.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Readers are digging into various editions of the story so they can be ready to watch Matt Damon play Odysseus on his 10-year journey home following the Trojan War.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
We’re still digging out of that huge jump in home prices, and even though wages are going up, prices are still going up, too — even if at a slower pace.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
When Cristian Romero reduced the deficit in the 79th minute, it was a case of Egypt digging in.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
He told me he had soda left over from a Costco run and needed my help finishing it, and it’s nice to have a cold soda after digging dirt for two hours.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
As we dug through the shelves, one of the building’s residents emerged from the front door with the stride of a woman on a mission.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
It pegged the band, in its members' own words, as "the queer joy mini-skirt rollerblade, external" crew - but their music has always dug deeper than that.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Metal ores dug up during mining often contain sulfide minerals.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
Since then, Iran has dug out the openings and resumed firing from some of the bases, analysts said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Crandell, and Mullineaux with him, dug through layers of rock and soil, seeing how ash from previous eruptions changed the ground.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
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.
