digging (away)

verb

present participle of dig (away)
as in struggling
to devote serious and sustained effort it took days of digging away at the subject, but he understands it thoroughly now

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for digging (away)
  1. struggling
  2. laboring
  3. striving
  4. working
  5. banging away
Verb
  • Mitchell-Namdar said Pink Aid’s mission is to provide emergency aid assistance to those struggling during treatment, whether that means paying an electric bill, rent, offering wigs or lymphedema sleeves.
    — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Many mid- and late-career working-class comics who would normally build the bridge to younger generations are struggling to make a living.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of struggling
Verb
  • Strange, yes, but definitely more memorable than an accountant in green eyeshade laboring over the books.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • McNeely’s portrait of a laboring mother, swathed in glowing fields of chartreuse, outshines (again, literally) art history’s greats.
    — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of laboring
Verb
  • While Indiana and Hoover are striving for perfection as the program aims to defend its national title, TCU is just hoping to score more than two touchdowns against a Power Four opponent.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The Monitor revisits three young families striving to live full lives amid Russia’s military invasion.
    — Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of striving
Verb
  • Walsh will contribute across collection development, campaign concepts, styling, brand imagery and creative storytelling, working alongside the Rebecca Taylor team.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Phillips is working from a script by Jordan & Justin Shipley, creators of the TBS comedy Wrecked, with a rewrite by Phillips & frequent collaborator Gene Stupnitsky, who’s producing through his Big Name Entertainment banner.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of working
Verb
  • Brian Cashman gets it all the time, but good, from Yankee fans; for them, banging away at Cashman on social media feels like the real national pastime.
    — Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 16 Aug. 2025
Definition of banging away
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.

Browse Nearby Words

digging
digging (away)
digging in
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Cite this Entry

“Digging (away).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/digging%20%28away%29. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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