ENGLISH
REFERENCE

delve

v.
C1 Advanced US //ˈdɛɫv// UK //dˈɛlv// delve Archaic Literary

v. to search for information by looking deeply into something. You use this when you want to find out more about a topic or a secret.

v. to research or investigate something thoroughly and systematically. Often used metaphorically to describe a deep mental or academic inquiry.


SIMPLE

We need to delve into the data to find the answer.

CONTEXTUAL

The journalist decided to delve into the company's financial history to uncover the truth about the missing funds.

COMPLEX

To understand the author's true intentions, one must delve into the historical context of the era and the personal tragedies that shaped his worldview.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle English delven, from Old English delfan (“to dig, dig out, burrow, bury”), from Proto-Germanic delbaną (“to dig”), from Proto-Indo-European dʰelbʰ- (“to dig”). Cognate with West Frisian dolle (“to dig, delve”), Dutch delven (“to dig, delve”), Low German dölven (“to dig, delve”), dialectal German delben, telben (“to dig, delve”).

Etymology 2

From Middle English delve, delf, dælf, from Old English delf, ġedelf (“digging”) and dælf (“that which is dug out, delf, ditch”). More at delf.

Usage

Intransitive; almost always followed by the preposition 'into'.

Pitfall

delve the archivesdelve into the archivesDelve is an intransitive verb and requires the preposition 'into' before the object.

© 2026 English Reference