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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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.
-
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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.
-
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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
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(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
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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:
This was perceived as a dig against Eduardo, mockingly nicknamed "little banana."
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
They break down every episode, quiz dozens of guest stars and dig up backstage anecdotes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Wearing thick gloves, environmental enforcement officer Hanley continues to dig through the dump.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
“It has certainly put us in a little bit of a hole to dig out of,” Damon Rose, Toyota’s North America sales chief, told The Wall Street Journal in an interview.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
Led by brother David Fox, a troop of men carrying shovels and pickaxes descended the stairs to dig up the peddler’s body.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
"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
Dig into one’s ideas too much, and eventually they’ll become hollow.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026
Perpendicular to that, there’s a lunchtime slop-bowl corridor, offering Just Salad, Dig, Cava, and Sweetgreen in one neat little row.
From Slate ● Sep. 6, 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
Dig deeper: Moon launches are having a moment.
From MarketWatch ● May 21, 2026
They run together, but at the end, the other girl finishes more strongly Her stride lengthens, and a man keeps yelling, “Go, Annie! Go, Annie! Dig ’em in, love!
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
He digs into a topic, in this case gun violence in America, illuminating unexpected causes and prodding at assumptions that perpetuate what he refers to as a gun violence “epidemic.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 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 Escondida mine in northern Chile yearly digs up around five percent of the world's copper, which is essential for the energy transition, artificial intelligence and defense.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Further digs could take place in the future.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
Charlie runs to me and digs his head into my side.
From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya
“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
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
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
Television footage showed heavy machinery digging through the rubble as rescue teams gather at the site in an effort to recover people trapped beneath the debris.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
Further digging revealed similar articles had been published about some of the other favourites to win the men's and women's awards, including Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe and London City Lionesses' Putellas.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
Labor unions and other supporters are digging deep.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
Albertsons is still digging out of its 2022 attempt to sell itself to Kroger for $20 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
After a bit more digging, he and Detective Webster hoisted the discovery out of the pit.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
The last native plant on the island was dug up from Glen Auldyn in 1947 in an attempt to save it, but died soon afterwards.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 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
They would later discover that Russians had dug sideways and below at these barricades to create large living hubs where soldiers would have to spend months at a time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Evans: When you’re really dug in and have spent decades yelling at each other on the internet, then to change their mind now means admitting they were wrong all along.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
The remains ofPhineas, his mother, his brother-in-law, and 35,000 other San Francisco pioneers were dug up by the city and moved to a mass grave in a suburban cemetery.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
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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.
