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
  • Its interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former al-Qa’eda militant who led the rebel offensive that overthrew dictator Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, has been struggling to rebuild a nation devastated by almost 14 years of civil war.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Teachers and students are struggling to parse the difference between deploying AI effectively and exploiting the technology to cheat.
    — Sian Leah Beilock, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 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
  • Rome’s deputy mayor for sustainable mobility and transport, Eugenio Patanè, is striving to restore order and reduce traffic — and not just golf carts.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
  • OpenAI is striving to regain the initiative in the AI race against a backdrop of growing anxiety from experts, tech leaders, and the public over the risks of frontier AI.
    — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of striving
Verb
  • Steinem spent 11 days working undercover as a bunny in Manhattan's Playboy Club and documenting her experience.
    — Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Irving has been appointed Joint Managing Director, working alongside Simon Gillis, who holds the same post.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 3 Sep. 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 8 Sep. 2026.

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