What does "dig" mean?
An archeological or paleontological investigation, or the site where such an investigation is taking place.
Dig
/dɪɡ/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An archeological or paleontological investigation, or the site where such an investigation is taking place.
- Grammar: dig is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: barb, excavation, abide, absorb.
- Useful contrasts: compliment, cover, detest.
- Usage evidence: Some people tried to dig the treasure out, but they couldn't.
How to use "dig"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "dig" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "dig" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "dig" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "dig" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "dig" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "barb" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "dig", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An archeological or paleontological investigation, or the site where such an investigation is taking place.
- 2 Digoxin. colloquial, uncountable
"dig toxicity"
- 3 A duck. obsolete
"Powltrey, &c, &c. Item ten turkeys … Item three Digs [an old Cheshire word for duck] and a Drake … Item ffower Capons … [The word's gloss has been inserted by Earwaker]"
- 4 Initialism of dwarf irregular galaxy. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 5 dwarf irregular galaxy
Show 14 more definitions
- 6 the act of touching someone suddenly with your finger or elbow wordnet
- 7 A thrust; a poke.
"He guffawed and gave me a dig in the ribs after telling his latest joke."
- 8 the act of digging wordnet
- 9 A hard blow, especially (boxing) a straight left-hander delivered under the opponent's guard. archaic, slang
"[…] 'let him go, I tell you, or I'll be after breaking your ugly mug,' and with that I gave him a dig that knocked him into smithereens."
- 10 a small gouge (as in the cover of a book) wordnet
- 11 A defensive pass of the ball that has been attacked by the opposing team.
- 12 an aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect wordnet
- 13 An innings.
- 14 the site of an archeological exploration wordnet
- 15 A cutting, sarcastic remark.
"Buckram ! that's a dig at my trade."
- 16 The occupation of digging for gold.
"Don Quixote told us that Western Australia was the same to him as any other country, except that it possessed the charm of novelty, and he assured us that as soon as he was well enough he would be off on the "dig" once more."
- 17 A plodding and laborious student. US, colloquial, dated
"Between the two extremes of college men the unsocial dig and the flunking swell, lies the majority, who, acknowledging the duty and merit of hard work, see the value in social and recreative line, but are at somewhat of a loss, seemingly, how to proportionize the time given to the different sides of college life, or how far to allow themselves to go on the more attractive side."
- 18 A tool for digging. UK, dated, dialectal
- 19 A rare or interesting vinyl record bought second-hand. slang
"a £1 charity shop dig"
Verb
- 1 To move hard-packed earth out of the way, especially downward to make a hole with a shovel. Or to drill, or the like, through rocks, roads, or the like. More generally, to make any similar hole by moving material out of the way. intransitive, transitive
"They dug an eight-foot ditch along the side of the road."
- 2 To understand. dated, slang
"You dig?"
- 3 get the meaning of something wordnet
- 4 To get by digging; to take from the ground; often with up. transitive
"to dig potatoes"
- 5 To appreciate, or like. dated, slang, transitive
"Baby, I dig you."
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 poke or thrust abruptly wordnet
- 7 To take ore from its bed, in distinction from making excavations in search of ore.
- 8 turn up, loosen, or remove earth wordnet
- 9 To work like a digger; to study ploddingly and laboriously. US, dated, slang
"Peter dug at his books all the harder."
- 10 remove the inner part or the core of wordnet
- 11 To investigate, to research, often followed by out or up. figuratively
"to dig up evidence"
- 12 create by digging wordnet
- 13 To thrust; to poke.
"He dug an elbow into my ribs and guffawed at his own joke."
- 14 thrust down or into wordnet
- 15 To defend against an attack hit by the opposing team by successfully passing the ball
- 16 remove, harvest, or recover by digging wordnet
- 17 work hard wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"Some people tried to dig the treasure out, but they couldn't."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "dig"?
Common synonyms include: barb, excavation, abide, absorb, abysm, abyss.
How do you use "dig" in a sentence?
Some people tried to dig the treasure out, but they couldn't.
How do you pronounce "dig"?
Pronounced /dɪɡ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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.
Etymology 2
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).
Etymology 3
Shortening.
Etymology 4
Unknown. Compare Middle English digge.