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
  • One professor is struggling with funding cuts and getting grants for his students to research one of the oldest long-term studies in the world.
    — Maddie Rhodes, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Who’s struggling in the workroom by the end of the first day?
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of struggling
Verb
  • While practicing for a sixth straight day, laboring in a heat index pushing 90 degrees, the Chiefs were bound to be a bit ill-mannered.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Complicated births that require, for example, extended time laboring will now be differentiated and might cost more, while uncomplicated births will cost less.
    — Camille A. Clare, STAT, 23 July 2026
Definition of laboring
Verb
  • Winner of The Jonathan Logan Family Foundation Tikkun Olam Award recognizing films which emphasize the responsibility and capacity of individuals and collectives to embody change and justice in striving towards a better future.
    — Katie Campione, Deadline, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Arnetra and her sister, Akiva, described Darius as a joker, always striving to bring joy to those around him.
    — Maveah Griffith, Charlotte Observer, 31 July 2026
Definition of striving
Verb
  • Fernandes says the north side of the park is much better than the south side because his team is working section by section to bring change, noting that a safe park is critical to the well-being of the people who live in the area.
    — Jeff Nguyen, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • For this fixture, Aaronson seems like the safer, reassuring, hard-working choice Farke will make.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 Aug. 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

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