delve

1 of 2

verb

delved; delving

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
delver noun

delve

2 of 2

noun

archaic

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Digging Up the History of Delve

We must dig deep into the English language’s past to find the origins of delve. The verb traces to the early Old English word delfan meaning “to dig.” For centuries, there was only delving—no digging—because dig didn’t exist until much later; it appears in early Middle English. Given dig and delve’s overlapping meanings today, 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, dig was the term for working with a mattock (a tool similar to an adze or a pick), while delve was reserved for work done using a spade. Although delve has a history of use for literal digging, nowadays the term is often applied to carefully researching or examining something, as in “delving into the past.”

Examples of delve in a Sentence

Verb He tried to delve inside his memory for clues about what had happened. Noun a poem in which a medieval knight encounters a mysterious beauty in a darkened delve
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Under his reign, the site’s coverage has delved deeper into super-online rap and hyperpop. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 17 Oct. 2025 That’s 16 days of public silence and private plotting — 16 days of preparing for a case management conference and pondering motions and strategizing for the discovery process and delving into every facet of this year-long case that has no end in sight. Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Oct. 2025 Debuting in the fest’s Envision competition, the film delves deep into the invisible world of organisms that emerge during the decay of organic matter. Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025 The book also delves into the band’s early days touring the world, Bottum’s struggles with heroin addiction, and living through the height of the AIDS crisis. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for delve

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Old English delfan; akin to Old High German telban to dig

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of delve was before the 12th century

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Cite this Entry

“Delve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/delve. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

delve

verb
ˈdelv
delved; delving
1
: to dig or labor with a spade
2
: to make a careful or thorough search for information
delver noun

More from Merriam-Webster on delve

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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