dig

1 of 3

verb

dug ˈdəg How to pronounce dig (audio) ; digging

transitive verb

1
a
: to break up, turn, or loosen (earth) with an implement
digging dirt with a shovel
machines digging up the road
b
: to prepare the soil of
dig a garden
2
a
: to bring to the surface by digging : unearth
dig potatoes
b
: to bring to light or out of hiding
dig up facts
3
: to hollow out or form by removing earth : excavate
dig a hole
dig a tunnel
4
: to drive down so as to penetrate : thrust
dug her toes into the sand
The hawk dug its claws into its prey.
5
: poke, prod
dug me in the ribs with his elbow
6
slang
a
: to pay attention to : notice
dig that fancy hat
b
: understand, appreciate
couldn't dig the medical jargon
c
: like, admire
High school students dig short poetry.David Burmester

intransitive verb

1
: to turn up, loosen, or remove earth
digging in the garden
dig for buried treasure
2
: to work hard or laboriously
3
: to advance by or as if by removing or pushing aside material
digging into the history of the company

dig

2 of 3

noun

1
a
: thrust, poke
a dig in the ribs
b
: a cutting remark
a subtle dig at their lack of preparedness
2
digs plural
a
: accommodations (see accommodation sense 1a) for living or working
buying furniture for his new digs
b
chiefly British : lodging sense 2b
3
: an archaeological excavation site
also : the excavation itself
participated in a dig

dig

3 of 3

abbreviation

digest

Examples of dig in a Sentence

Verb Some animal has been digging in the garden. They dug into the sand with their hands. He dug down about 10 feet before he hit water. Dig a hole three feet deep. The first step in building a house is to dig the foundation. The prisoners escaped by digging a tunnel under the fence. digging clams on the beach These detectives won't stop digging until they find out what happened. Noun She gave me a dig in the ribs to get my attention. She participated in a dig last summer.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
When pets have access to plants, remember a dog’s ability to dig and jump and cats that like the view from high shelves. Sara Okeefe, The Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2024 In the last three years, two people have died in Quang Tri: a man digging a new floor in his kitchen and a boy who picked up and threw a cluster bomb. Seth Mydans, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Therese and Jason were right there and jumped into action, digging to save their children as the grains of sand engulfed them. Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024 Dramatic video posted online showed several beachgoers frantically trying to dig through the sand and reach Sloan. Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 14 Mar. 2024 More of a thespian than an athlete, Fitzpatrick digs the drama, the colorful costumes (also known as uniforms), and the electric energy of the games. Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2024 Try digging a 6 inch trench and burying ⅔ of transplant on their side rather than into a deep horizontal hole—this will encourage vertical root growth and result in stronger, higher-producing plants. Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024 Nina Luxenberg, a Tucson doctor, said digging massive pits and piling tailings in the mountains will ruin their appeal to both tourists and residents who seek the area out for recreation and birdwatching. Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024 Going to the office has been no small feat for Jon Slaughter’s marketing team at Sugar Bowl, requiring the employees to dig down several feet and then tunnel through to the front door after a powerful blizzard dumped more than 10 feet (3 meters) of snow on the Northern California ski resort. Julie Watson, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2024
Noun
In addition to their new Montecito digs, Brolin and his wife Kathryn also maintain a mansion in the Atlanta suburbs and a spacious but relatively unassuming house in California’s Simi Valley. James McClain, Robb Report, 14 Mar. 2024 That repetition by employees at Figure that their robot isn’t being operated by a human can only be interpreted as a dig at Musk, who recently sued OpenAI. Matt Novak / Gizmodo, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024 The joint Egyptian and American dig team originally began its exploration of the Ashmunein area with the goal of discovering a religious complex from Egypt’s New Kingdom era (1550 to 1070 B.C.E.). Catherine Duncan, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Mar. 2024 Jimmy Kimmel snuck in a last-minute dig at Matt Damon during the 2024 Oscars. Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 After former President Donald Trump posted a scathing review of Jimmy Kimmel's performance as host of the 2024 Oscars, Kimmel read it on air during the ceremony — and threw a dig at the 2024 Republican presidential frontrunner. Christopher Brito, CBS News, 11 Mar. 2024 Thankfully, Art Deco style and bold Hollywood glamour coexist with genuinely luxurious digs and white-glove service. Chris Dong, Travel + Leisure, 29 Feb. 2024 The song, part of his upcoming sophomore album, Tennessee Truth, has some fans musing if the new track is a dig at Tyler Hubbard, the Georgia half of former country music duo Florida George Line. Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2024 Similarly, it’s become difficult for people in Spears’ inner circle to hear his digs against her, Us Weekly reported. Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dig.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English diggen

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1797, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of dig was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near dig

Cite this Entry

“Dig.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dig. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dig

1 of 2 verb
dug ˈdəg How to pronounce dig (audio) ; digging
1
a
: to turn up the soil (as with a spade or hoe)
b
: to hollow out or form by removing earth
dig a hole
2
: to uncover or search by or as if by turning up earth
dig potatoes
dig for gold
dig through books for help
3
: find out
dig up the facts
4
: prod entry 1 sense 1, poke
dug me in the ribs
5
a
: to pay attention to : notice
dig that hat
b
: understand sense 1a
you dig me?
c
: like entry 1 sense 1
I dig music
digger noun

dig

2 of 2 noun
1
2
: a harsh remark : gibe
3
: a place where scientists (as archaeologists or paleontologists) try to recover buried objects by digging
also : the process of digging for such objects

More from Merriam-Webster on dig

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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