dig
- 01 A2 Elementary
v.to move soil or sand to make a hole, usually with your hands or a tool.
v.to break up, turn over, or remove earth or other material, typically with a tool or claws.
Simple“The dog started to dig a hole in the garden to hide its bone.”
In context“The construction crew had to dig deep into the clay to lay a stable foundation for the new skyscraper.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to search for information or secrets.
v.to investigate or research intensively to uncover hidden information, often followed by 'up' or 'into'.
Simple“The reporter began to dig into the company's history to find the truth.”
In context“Journalists continued to dig for evidence of corruption, eventually uncovering a series of offshore accounts linked to the ministry.”
Synonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
v.to enjoy, appreciate, or understand something.
v.to appreciate, enjoy, or comprehend something; carries a distinct mid-20th-century counterculture nuance.
Simple“I really dig your new jacket; where did you get it?”
In context“While the older generation found the rhythm chaotic, the younger fans really seemed to dig the experimental jazz fusion.”
Synonyms - 04 B1 Intermediate
n.a place where people search for old objects from history.
n.an archaeological or paleontological excavation site or the project itself.
Simple“The students spent their summer working at a Roman dig in France.”
In context“The university-led dig yielded several significant artefacts that challenged previous theories about the settlement's age.”
Synonyms - 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a clever but slightly mean comment about someone.
n.a critical, sarcastic, or insulting remark aimed at a person.
Simple“He couldn't resist taking a dig at her messy desk.”
In context“Her speech was mostly professional, though she did include a subtle dig at her rival's failed policy initiative.”
Antonyms - 06 B1 Intermediate
“Maybe I’ll pin my hopes on new competitor Paralives , or dig out my old (already paid for, offline only) physical copies of the original The Sims.”
“How did this happen and how do we dig ourselves out?”
From Middle English diggen (“to dig”, 13th c.), an alteration of dīken, from Old English dīcian (“to dig a ditch, mound up earth”), from Proto-West Germanic dīkōn, which see for cognates. This verb is denominal from Proto-Germanic dīkaz (“pool, puddle; dyke, ditch”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeygʷ- (“to stab, dig”). The form with g may have been influenced by Old French *diguer, a variant of dikier, itself from the West Germanic verb above. French forms with g are attested only in the 15th c., thus 200 years later than in English. On the other hand, French has according forms also for the underlying noun (cf. digue) and the phonetic development is more plausible in French than in English.
From African American Vernacular English; due to lack of writing of slave speech, etymology is difficult to trace, but it has been suggested that it is from Wolof dëgg, dëgga (“to understand, to appreciate”). It has also been suggested that it is from Irish dtuig, thus being a doublet of twig. Others do not propose a distinct etymology, instead considering this a semantic shift of the existing English term (compare dig in/dig into).
Shortening.
Unknown. Compare Middle English digge.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.