dig in

verb

dug in; digging in; digs in

transitive verb

1

: to cover or incorporate by burying

dig in compost

2

: to establish in a dug defensive position

the platoon was well dug in

intransitive verb

1

: to establish a defensive position especially by digging trenches

2

a

: to go resolutely to work

b

: to begin eating

3

: to hold stubbornly to a position

4

: to scuff the ground for better footing while batting (as in baseball)

see also:

dig in one's heels

Examples of dig in in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But journalism has gotten so much smaller, and academia is also very precarious — and the idea of an academic writing in any kind of consumer-facing press is now considered a dig in your tenure file. — Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 1 Aug. 2026

The Roots, a second-division franchise founded in 2018, have been on a similar quest to nail down long-term digs in Oakland. — Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 31 July 2026

In a joint Instagram video, the men show off the lavish digs in a house tour. — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026

Kids will love eating it outdoors—just spread the crawfish and veggies on trays lined with sheets of newspaper to contain the mess, and then dig in. — Libby Monteith Minor, Southern Living, 25 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for dig in

• trigone

Kids Definition

dig in

verb

1

: to dig and take position in a trench

the soldiers dug in

2

a

: to go to work

b

: to begin eating