ENGLISH
REFERENCE

dug

n.
A2 Elementary US //ˈdəɡ// UK //dˈʌɡ// dug Vulgar

n. the past tense of dig. You use it to describe making a hole in the ground or moving soil.

n. the past tense and past participle of 'dig'. Refers to the act of breaking up or moving earth, or the metaphorical act of searching for information.


SIMPLE

The dog dug a big hole in the garden.

CONTEXTUAL

The archaeologists dug deep into the hillside to uncover the remains of the ancient city walls.

COMPLEX

After hours of searching through the archives, the reporter finally dug up the evidence she needed to prove the corruption scandal.

Synonyms
Origin

From earlier dugge ("pap, teat"; compare also English dialectal ducky, dukky (“the female breast”)), apparently connected to Danish dægge (“to suckle”), Swedish dägga (“to suck”), Old English dēon (“to suckle”). More at doe. Compare also doug.

Usage

The past tense and past participle form of 'dig'. It is an irregular verb form.

Pitfall

He digged a holeHe dug a holeThe verb 'dig' is irregular; the past tense is 'dug', not 'digged'.

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