digging

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3
4

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 On a moonless night in January, a gargantuan turtle was digging a nest high up on a soft sand beach at Galathea Bay on the Great Nicobar Island in the Indian Ocean. M. Rajshekhar, Time, 11 Sep. 2025 Dogs have a way of surprising their owners with strange, determined behaviors—but few are as dramatic as Rosie's relentless digging spree. Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025 Underground hydrogen was discovered by chance when crews were digging a well in Mali in the 1980s, according to reporting from Science. Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 9 Sep. 2025 After digging deep, the intrepid celebrity reporters at People magazine found out that Barron indeed is not physically there in the 212. Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025 Controversy erupted in 1933 over Viking’s publication of Erskine Caldwell’s fourth novel, God’s Little Acre, a story of farmers in Georgia digging futilely for gold. Paul Slovak september 8, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025 This involves removing the digging rig—the one that made the hole—and replacing it with a completion rig. Rich Tabaka, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025 Isaac had prepared for Gomez to die in the machine, digging his grave in advance. Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 7 Sep. 2025 Each rock bottom has come accompanied by a shovel, as the Dodgers keep digging deeper. Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for digging
Verb
  • While excavating the ruins, archaeologists from the University of Haifa's Zinman Institute of Archaeology were struck by a floor design at the entrance of an ancient building.
    Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Other mining jobs include continuous mining machine operators, excavating/loading machine and dragline operators, and construction equipment operators.
    Noël Fletcher, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Along with the offense, the Giants’ bullpen continues enjoying collective success even with a vastly different personnel, one that does not feature Randy Rodríguez, Camilo Doval, Tyler Rogers or Erik Miller.
    Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
  • In July, Aniston was spotted enjoying a yacht trip off the coast of Mallorca — where she was joined by friends including Jason Bateman and his wife Amanda Anka — and Curtis was with her for the vacation.
    Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Perhaps, though, Kubrick's cold view of Jack and choice to diminish some of King's sympathetic nuances serve to heighten the terror; how much does knowing the complex motivations of a domestic abuser help their victims?
    James Grebey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Participants’ weight, waist size, and body mass index (BMI) were tracked, along with their performance on tests of memory, orientation (for example, knowing the date and who the president is), and executive function (such as drawing a clock face).
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Gavras, working from a script he co-wrote with Pulitzer-finalist playwright Will Arbery, seems to be poking fun at the vacuous postures of the oligarch class, just as Ruben Östlund and many other filmmakers have in recent years.
    Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
  • New Bayern Munich signing Luis Díaz strolled down the left flank before cutting inside and poking a cross along the six-yard line.
    Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Hayes is now a long ways away from his teenage years shoveling driveways, and his early career as a postal-service worker.
    Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2025
  • Physical tasks like gardening, shoveling the driveway, washing the car, and cleaning the house can get your heart rate up and count as a fat-burning activity.
    Sherri Gordon, Health, 27 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Love is not neutral – it’s shaped by power, by capitalism, by who has historically been allowed to be seen loving and being loved.
    Caterina De Biasio, Vogue, 11 Sep. 2025
  • From the outside, Laura could be loving, protective, overbearing, even intrusive — while Cherry sows doubt for hiding pieces of her past despite ostensibly adoring her new beau.
    Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • For families deciphering what’s necessary and what to skip in a skin regimen, building a healthy routine for kids can be easy to manage.
    Khanh T.L. Tran, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025
  • To make deciphering all these invites a little easier, here’s what to know about formal attire.
    Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 23 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The video shows Brown seated behind the victim before pulling out a folding knife and stabbing her multiple times without provocation.
    Amanda Castro Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Around four minutes later, the man pulls out a knife and begins stabbing Zarutska three times, including at least once in the neck.
    Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 8 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Digging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/digging. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on digging

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!