dig

verb

\ ˈdig

dug\ ˈdəg

\; digging

Definition of dig

(Entry 1 of 3)

transitive verb

1a : to break up, turn, or loosen (earth) with an implement digging dirt with a shovel machines digging up the road

b : to prepare the soil of dig a garden

2a : to bring to the surface by digging : unearth dig potatoes

b : to bring to light or out of hiding dig up facts

3 : to hollow out or form by removing earth : excavate dig a hole dig a tunnel

4 : to drive down so as to penetrate : thrust dug her toes into the sand The hawk dug its claws into its prey.

5 : poke, prod dug me in the ribs with his elbow

6 slang

a : to pay attention to : notice dig that fancy hat

b : understand, appreciate couldn't dig the medical jargon

c : like, admire High school students dig short poetry.— David Burmester

intransitive verb

1 : to turn up, loosen, or remove earth digging in the garden dig for buried treasure

2 : to work hard or laboriously

3 : to advance by or as if by removing or pushing aside material digging into the history of the company

dig

noun

Definition of dig (Entry 2 of 3)

1a : thrust, poke a dig in the ribs

b : a cutting remark a subtle dig at their lack of preparedness

2 digs plural

a : accommodations (see accommodation sense 1a) for living or working buying furniture for his new digs

b chiefly British : lodging sense 2b

3 : an archaeological excavation site also : the excavation itself participated in a dig

dig

abbreviation

Definition of dig (Entry 3 of 3)

digest

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about dig

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms for dig

Synonyms: Verb

excavate, shovel

Synonyms: Noun

dab, jab, lunge, poke

Examples of dig in a Sentence

Verb

Some animal has been digging in the garden. They dug into the sand with their hands. He dug down about 10 feet before he hit water. Dig a hole three feet deep. The first step in building a house is to dig the foundation. The prisoners escaped by digging a tunnel under the fence. digging clams on the beach These detectives won't stop digging until they find out what happened.

Noun

She gave me a dig in the ribs to get my attention. She participated in a dig last summer.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Such falls happen often in India when wells dug to draw water are left dangerously open. — Fox News, "Indian toddler trapped in well dies amid 110-hour rescue try," 11 June 2019 Construction crews on Saturday dug the well deeper as a temporary solution, but a leak later was detected, the statement said. — Chris Coppola, azcentral, "Douglas prison still plagued by low water pressure; emergency measures remain in place," 10 June 2019 Shouldn’t be against Djokovic, who kept digging holes for himself and climbing out. — Washington Post, "Djokovic Slam run ends at French; Thiem vs. Nadal in final," 9 June 2019 Radioactive activity and farming methods are what caused the widespread infertility in the first place, and Gilead’s already trying to remedy that by farming organically and Colony workers digging to get rid of the contaminated soil. — Nicole Pomarico, refinery29.com, "What Is June's Daughter Being Trained For On The Handmaid's Tale?," 8 June 2019 All match, Djokovic kept digging a hole, then climbing out. — Howard Fendrich, chicagotribune.com, "Dominic Thiem ends Novak Djokovic's Grand Slam winning streak to reach French Open final," 8 June 2019 Sarkissian urged customers to call 811 before any digging project to lower the risk of any similarly disruptive line breaks. — George Kelly, The Mercury News, "Long delays expected as BART’s Transbay Tube reopens following closure," 7 June 2019 His music and lyrics transcended the usual party cliches, digging deeper into our shared modern consciousness with music videos that dared to question the status quo. — Kat Bein, Billboard, "Avicii's Posthumous Album 'Tim' Is Out Now: Stream & Listen," 6 June 2019 Before the men embarked for France from Weymouth, the Army dug a large burn pit and ordered the GIs to discard any nonessential items, Earll told the Library of Congress Veterans History Project in 2007. — The Washington Post, al.com, "D-Day veteran wonders why he lived when so many others died," 3 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Season 2 digs even deeper into the sisters at the heart of the show. — Marc Silver, Washington Post, "Another round! The Season 3 renewal of Starz’s ‘Vida’ was well deserved.," 9 June 2019 Senior Teddy Fravel had 17 kills and classmate Collin Liedke had 18 digs. — Sean Begin, courant.com, "Boys volleyball: Newington tops Cheshire for third straight Class M title," 7 June 2019 For those digs, the PodShare website says a renter pays $60 a night, $350 a week or $1,500 a month. — Marisa Kendall, The Mercury News, "Rent a bunk bed for $1,200 a month? Idea sparks pushback from SF officials," 7 June 2019 The Brewing Projekt opened in 2015 and moved into bigger digs on the Chippewa River this year. — Chelsey Lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Beer and a bike ride: 12 breweries along bike trails in Wisconsin," 6 June 2019 Califf closed out his career with 795 assists and 184 digs this season. — Bob Narang, chicagotribune.com, "OPRF boys volleyball takes home a trophy with fourth-place state finish," 3 June 2019 Yet, without fail, a dinner party or a cocktail gathering will manage to work its way into our downtime, far more frequently than our friends with bigger, fancier digs. — Steven Stolman, Town & Country, "How the Salonnière List of the Best Party Hosts in America Is Put Together," 21 Mar. 2019 According to the newspaper's source, Kanye went to check out the multimillion dollar digs on his own during a trip to Miami in December and just knew Kim had to have it. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Kanye West Bought Kim Kardashian a $14 Million Christmas Gift," 29 Dec. 2018 The Telegraph reported that the Sussex's new digs would include a nursery, a yoga studio, and a gym. — Nicole Saunders, Harper's BAZAAR, "You Can Now Live in the Same Neighborhood as Meghan Markle and Prince Harry," 22 May 2019

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