Synonyms of digging

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• excavating
• shoveling
• dredging
• clawing
• mining
• grubbing
• burrowing
• delving
• scooping
• quarrying
• spading
• digging in

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• filling (in)
• smoothing (out or over)

2

as in enjoying

to take pleasure in

I really dig bluegrass music

Synonyms & Similar Words

• enjoying
• savoring
• loving
• liking
• relishing
• fancying
• taking to
• getting off (on)
• admiring
• grooving (on)
• rejoicing (in)
• going for
• appreciating
• adoring
• reveling (in)
• delighting (in)
• getting a kick out of
• revering
• venerating
• valuing
• having a soft spot for
• being partial to
• treasuring
• worshipping
• devouring
• drinking (in)
• eating (up)
• cherishing
• preferring
• feasting (on)
• prizing
• idolizing
• doting (on)
• indulging (in)
• favoring
• luxuriating (in)
• wallowing (in)
• cottoning (to)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hating
• disliking
• detesting
• loathing
• abhorring
• condemning
• despising
• abominating
• scorning

3

as in knowing

to have a clear idea of

can you dig what I'm saying?

Synonyms & Similar Words

• knowing
• deciphering
• understanding
• grasping
• seeing
• recognizing
• comprehending
• appreciating
• getting
• realizing
• sensing
• making
• discerning
• seizing
• perceiving
• decoding
• conceiving
• assimilating
• intuiting
• apprehending
• registering
• catching
• twigging
• tumbling (to)
• beholding
• grokking
• making out
• savvying
• catching on (to)
• cognizing
• compassing
• digesting
• picking up on
• fathoming
• absorbing
• cottoning (to or on to)
• penetrating
• taking in
• piercing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• missing
• misunderstanding
• misreading
• misinterpreting
• mistaking
• misconstruing
• misconceiving
• misperceiving
• misapprehending

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

• poking
• stabbing
• prodding
• punching
• spurring
• goading
• knocking
• jabbing
• nudging
• drilling
• jogging
• sticking
• chucking
• perforating
• pricking
• propelling
• driving
• puncturing
• piercing
• boring
• haling

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of digging

With little in the way of young players or draft capital aside from Wagler, scoring a big star in free agency is probably their best hope of digging themselves out of this mess in the next decade or so. — John Hollinger, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

The company had sent heavy machinery to the site, an undeveloped valley in northeast Independence, a month earlier to start tilling the earth and digging runoff ponds. — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026

Other bases are said to make rookies run long distances across challenging terrain, or to spend sixteen hours digging firebreaks. — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

Everyone knows about Lee’s reputation, but her digging uncovers something far worse than the usual Hollywood misogyny. — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026

Ragweed is easiest to weed early in the season when the plants are still young and their roots aren’t well-established; however, pulling or digging older plants out later on is still doable and much better than allowing the plants to drop seed. — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 30 Aug. 2026

The outfit just hit Amazon, and shoppers are already digging it. — Annie Blackman, InStyle, 29 Aug. 2026

The earliest community members built Etowah mounds by first digging soil for the earthen platforms, then filling them with the remains of ritual feasts. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 26 Aug. 2026

After spending eight hours Sunday cutting, edging, shredding, digging and ripping at things in the yard and in the garage, my advice to younger readers is to invest in high-quality tools. — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026