delve

verb \ ˈdelv \

Updated on: 12 May 2018

Definition of delve

delved; delving

transitive verb

archaic : excavate

intransitive verb

1 : to dig or labor with or as if with a spade

delved into her handbag in search of a pen

2 a : to make a careful or detailed search for information

delved into the past

b : to examine a subject in detail

the book delves into the latest research

won't delve into her reason for leaving

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delver

noun

See delve defined for English-language learners

See delve defined for kids

delve was our Word of the Day on 10/12/2015. Hear the podcast!

Examples of delve in a Sentence

He tried to delve inside his memory for clues about what had happened.

Recent Examples of delve from the Web

As guests delve deeper into the queue, the surrounding aesthetic begins to drive the attraction's original story.

— matt cabral, The Hollywood Reporter, "What It's Like Riding with the 'Fast & Furious' Crew at Universal Studios," 5 May 2018
All of these could help scientists delve into the history and evolution of our planetary neighbor.

— amina khan, latimes.com, "NASA's InSight mission will look deep into the heart of Mars for clues about its past," 3 May 2018
This is an opportune time for the book to be published — with headlines about harassment from Hollywood to high tech — but Yeung and her colleagues at the Center for Investigative Reporting have delved into this issue for the past decade.

— elaine elinson, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘In a Day’s Work,’ by Bernice Yeung," 3 May 2018
Howard boys track coach Zachary Dickerson has delved into the league history, and in doing so, came to the conclusion that his team might be on the verge of accomplishing a feat not seen in the county in at least the past 15 years.

— kyle stackpole, Howard County Times, "Howard boys track and field seeking county triple crown at outdoor league championships," 3 May 2018
The series, now two episodes in, starts with Cenac’s take on two random topics before Cenac delves into the show’s overall focus — policing in the U.S. — and how police relate to residents of color in their communities.

— janelle walker, Elgin Courier-News, "Episode of HBO show on policing featuring Elgin to debut Friday," 26 Apr. 2018
The talk will be presented by author David Robbins and will delve into the culture, politics, music and fashion of the 1960s, and why that particular decade is so relevant today.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Valley Edition," 17 Apr. 2018
The new Camp Endeavor program, open to children ages 7 to 13, is a two-week camp where participants can delve into drama, space, or outdoor adventure.

— julia preszler, BostonGlobe.com, "Summer day camps north of Boston," 12 Apr. 2018
Trump has howled in all caps for nearly a year as the Justice Department has delved deeper and deeper into his orbit.

— author: philip rucker, josh dawsey, robert costa, Anchorage Daily News, "‘A bomb on Trump’s front porch’: FBI’s Cohen raids hit home for the president," 10 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'delve.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Digging Up the History of delve

We must dig deep into the English language's past to find the origins of "delve." The verb originated in 9th century Old English as "delfan" and is related to the Old High German word telban, meaning "dig." For some 400 years, there was only delving - no digging - because "dig" didn't exist until the 13th century. Is the phrase "dig and delve" (as in the line "eleven, twelve, dig and delve," from the nursery rhyme that begins "one, two, buckle my shoe") redundant? Not necessarily. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, in some local uses as recently as the late 19th century, "dig" was the term for working with a mattock (a tool similar to an adze or a pick), while "delve" was reserved for using a spade.