digging

verb

present participle of dig
1
as in excavating
to hollow out or form (something) by removing earth a backhoe dug a hole in the backyard to make a swimming pool

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in poking
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

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 digging Roche is digging deeper into the biotech industry in China, striking a new partnership with a drug startup there. — Allison Deangelis, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026 Direct water toward the bed by installing a gutter extension, creating a downhill slope, digging a trench or connecting a PVC pipe to a distant gutter and running it underground to the rain garden. — ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026 As groundwater shrinks, those like Jan who can afford the upfront cost keep digging deeper; those who can’t rely on expensive tanker water or hand pumps at mosques. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026 The circumstances around their deaths are shrouded in mystery even as the search has concluded at a property in Lancaster where law enforcement spent two days digging. — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026 Choose a shade-tolerant grass suited to your region, and avoid digging or tilling near the roots. — Tricia Goss, Southern Living, 28 Sep. 2026 The song came from his feelings about taking action at ground level, literally digging his fingers into the dirt. — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 28 Sep. 2026 Sportsbooks could do the same to losers who are digging deeper and deeper holes. — Jake Pearson, ProPublica, 26 Sep. 2026 In all, Violins is a welcome addition to Blondshell’s discography, building on her familiar sound while digging deeper into her already precise and poignant songwriting. — Lyndsey Havens, Billboard, 25 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for digging
  1. excavating
  2. enjoying
  3. knowing
  4. poking
  5. savoring
  6. deciphering
  7. stabbing
  8. loving
Verb
  • Energy companies might save substantial capital by tapping naturally occurring subterranean structures rather than excavating artificial caverns or modifying depleted reservoirs.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Archaeologists excavating Hattusa, the former capital of the Hittite Empire in what is now Turkey, discovered a fragment of a clay tablet inscribed with Akkadian cuneiform, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
    — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of excavating
Verb
  • Zada is also the rare actor who admits to watching his own performances—and enjoying them.
    — Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 2 Oct. 2026
  • With the bread flour, the end result is a lovely, crowd-pleasing bun that’s great for snacking on its own or enjoying alongside a special holiday meal.
    — Hana Asbrink, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of enjoying
Verb
  • Brady, meanwhile, knowing that Carter has the ability to defect tribes, wants a new ally.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The pathway to that knowing is to enter the story and imagine the unsaid.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of knowing
Verb
  • Sometimes only the tips of the reeds and the seed heads were visible, poking above the murky water, and other times the reeds stood fully exposed, with a clear view of crabs clambering around their bases.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Video posted to social media showed one car nearly submerged, with just its sunroof poking above the water, as people moved other vehicles farther from the rising tides.
    — Leah Willingham, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of poking
Verb
  • The festivities kicked off in the town of Tequila with a full day at the Mundo Cuervo Distillery, wandering through agave fields, learning about the historic production process, and savoring lunch in the heart of José Cuervo’s hacienda.
    — Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Today, John Moffitt is running a growing, successful business, raising a young daughter, savoring the good days when things run smoothly, working through the days when the wireless gives out, or ingredients run out before the customers do.
    — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of savoring
Verb
  • Come early to mingle with the cast, in character, of course, who may or may not need your help in deciphering some puzzles.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • For these scrolls, the best method for virtually unrolling and deciphering text would be to scan for lead first, according to Seiler.
    — Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of deciphering
Verb
  • Dangelo Rafael Jean Caraballo, 25, and Sneider Mejia Bautista, 24, both Dominican citizens, are accused of stabbing off-duty NYPD Detective Jose Mercedes.
    — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Even the worst days doing this are exponentially better than the potential of waking up to my elderly roommate stabbing me in the pancreas.
    — Tim Savage, IndieWire, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of stabbing
Verb
  • In fact, the book’s depiction of Nick’s friendship and burgeoning relationship with Daisy’s golf-loving best friend Jordan Baker is upgraded to a torrid romance with its own love song and bedroom scenes that match Daisy’s and Gatsby’s.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 1 Oct. 2026
  • In opening statements, prosecutors elaborated on that claim, saying Weinberg also traded on stories and pictures of his three children, presenting himself as a loving father looking for an outlet for his creative passion as an amateur shutterbug.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of loving

Browse Nearby Words

diggers
digging
digging (away)
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Cite this Entry

“Digging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/digging. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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