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dig 1 of 2

verb

ˈdig How to pronounce dig (audio)
Definition of dignext
1
as in to excavate
to hollow out or form (something) by removing earth a backhoe dug a hole in the backyard to make a swimming pool

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to enjoy
to take pleasure in I really dig bluegrass music

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to know
to have a clear idea of can you dig what I'm saying?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to poke
to urge or push forward with or as if with a pointed object every time I slowed down, he'd dig me in the ribs

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dig

2 of 2

noun

1
as in jab
a quick thrust gave him a dig in the ribs with my elbow

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2
as in insult
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings got in a couple of digs about lawyers at my friend's expense

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in apartment
digs plural a room or set of rooms in a private house or a block used as a separate dwelling place check out my new digs on the north side of town

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of dig
Verb
When punk finally came along, the movie talks about how Townshend, who totally dug the punk scene, tried to cozy up to Johnny Rotten and got nowhere. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026 The outfit just hit Amazon, and shoppers are already digging it. — Annie Blackman, InStyle, 29 Aug. 2026
Noun
Under clingy fabrics, prioritize flat seams, no-dig leg openings, and thinner materials that are less likely to show. — Malia Griggs, Glamour, 28 Aug. 2026 Senior Angeli Aguilar has 35 kills and 45 digs, and junior setter Olivia Tome has 49 assists and 9 ace serves for the Lions. — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dig
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dig
  1. excavate
  2. enjoy
  3. know
  4. poke
  5. jab
  6. insult
  7. apartment
  8. shovel
Verb
  • Researchers combed through 60,000 bone fragments excavated from the cave, identifying two dozen or so that appeared to closely resemble hominin bones and testing them to see whether the fossils contained any useful biomolecular information.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Paleontologists are now planning to excavate three of the four footprints later this year, then transfer them by helicopter to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of excavate
Verb
  • Aston Villa and Chelsea, for example, exchanged four players over the summer, with The Athletic reporting that the two organisations enjoy a strong relationship.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Home to the world’s largest Japanese diaspora, as well as sizeable Korean and Chinese communities, the Brazilian megacity of São Paulo is one of the best places outside Asia to enjoy Asian food, said Austin Bush in Travel + Leisure.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of enjoy
Verb
  • Archival records showed that modern state officials had known about the existence of cemetery for decades but had done nothing to restore it or memorialize the children.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Sep. 2026
  • Other vipers are known to flick their tails, especially baby vipers with bright green or neon yellow tail tips that might appear like a wiggly worm to unsuspecting frogs.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of know
Verb
  • The dog’s ribs poked out, her skin was irritated and red, and patches of fur were missing — a possible sign of mange.
    — Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Natural light pokes through the windows, adding a trademark freshness to an indoor coliseum.
    — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of poke
Noun
  • Still, its criticism of AI and robotics has been interpreted as a jab at the tech mogul, whose businesses include Tesla and the artificial intelligence company xAI, which developed the chatbot Grok.
    — Sameen Chaudhry, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The artist’s body of work includes jabs at consumerism, materialism, logomania and high-low dressing.
    — Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of jab
Noun
  • Those who drive past our protests and yell insults or flip us the bird are to be pitied.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The billboards made Angelyne famous for being famous when that phrase was still an insult.
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of insult
Noun
  • In West Hartford, the company hopes to build two five-story buildings with a total of 120 apartments.
    — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2026
  • As my family gathered at my younger brother's apartment in downtown Philadelphia the next day, the mood was deeply heavy.
    — Laurel Dalrymple, NPR, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of apartment
Verb
  • Meanwhile, two sauna masters shovelled ice infused with fragrant oil onto the rocks and performed an Aufguss, a German ritual in which towels are twirled to spread scented air.
    — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Right now, that means shoveling rocks, insulating and backfilling the basement of the American Hotel, the original hotel in the town which burned down in 2020.
    — Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of shovel

Phrases Containing dig

Browse Nearby Words

diffusion
dig
dig (away)
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Cite this Entry

“Dig.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dig. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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