Dig — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun abbreviation /ˈdig/

Meaning & Definition of Dig

Dig (verb)

  1. to break up, turn, or loosen (earth) with an implement
  2. to prepare the soil of
  3. to bring to the surface by digging, unearth

Dig (noun)

  1. thrust, poke
  2. a cutting remark
  3. accommodations for living or working

Dig (abbreviation)

  1. digest

Dig (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to hollow out or form (something) by removing earth

    "a backhoe dug a hole in the backyard to make a swimming pool"

    similar: excavate, shovel
    related: dredge, burrow, claw, grub, dig in, scoop, spade, delve, mine, quarry
    near: fill (in), smooth (out or over)

  2. to take pleasure in

    "I really dig bluegrass music"

    similar: adore, delight (in), enjoy, fancy, get off (on), groove (on), like, love, rejoice (in), relish, revel (in), savor, be partial to, get a kick out of, go for, have a soft spot for, take to
    related: admire, appreciate, cherish, revere, venerate, worship, prize, treasure, value, devour, drink (in), eat (up), feast (on), dote (on), idolize, cotton (to), favor, prefer, indulge (in), luxuriate (in), wallow (in)
    near: abhor, abominate, detest, dislike, hate, loathe, condemn, despise, scorn

  3. to have a clear idea of

    "can you dig what I'm saying?"

    similar: appreciate, apprehend, assimilate, behold, catch, catch on (to), cognize, compass, comprehend, conceive, cotton (to or on to), decipher, decode, discern, get, grasp, grok, intuit, know, make, make out, perceive, recognize, register, savvy, see, seize, sense, tumble (to), twig, understand, pick up on
    related: absorb, digest, take in, realize, fathom, penetrate, pierce
    opposite: miss
    near: misapprehend, misconceive, misconstrue, misinterpret, misperceive, misread, mistake, misunderstand

  4. to urge or push forward with or as if with a pointed object

    "every time I slowed down, he'd dig me in the ribs"

    similar: goad, prod, spur
    related: chuck, jab, jog, knock, nudge, poke, bore, drill, perforate, pierce, prick, punch, puncture, stab, stick, drive, hale, propel

Dig (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a quick thrust

    "gave him a dig in the ribs with my elbow"

    similar: dab, jab, lunge, poke
    related: punch, stab, stick, push, shove, jam, jerk, jog, nudge

  2. an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings

    "got in a couple of digs about lawyers at my friend's expense"

    similar: affront, barb, brickbat, cut, dart, dis (slang), epithet, gird, indignity, insult, name, offense, outrage, personality, poke, put-down, sarcasm, slap, slight, slur
    related: catcall, gibe, jeer, mock, quip, sneer, taunt, abuse, invective, vituperation, disapproval, opprobrium, disgrace, dishonor, shame, attack, criticism, knock, slam, swipe, torment, torture
    near: accolade, commendation, compliment, acclaim, applause, praise, adulation, flattery

  3. a room or set of rooms in a private house or a block used as a separate dwelling place

    "check out my new digs on the north side of town"

    similar: apartment, diggings (chiefly British), flat (chiefly British), lodgings, suite, tenement
    related: bed-sitter (British), cohousing, condo, condominium, duplex, duplex apartment, efficiency, efficiency apartment, flatlet (British), floor-through, garden apartment, granny flat (chiefly British), maisonette, penthouse, railroad flat, salon, saloon (chiefly British), studio, studio apartment, triplex, walk-up, gallery, wing, apartment building, apartment house, tenement house

Related Entry: Dig (away) (verb)

Dig (away) is a different word from Dig. The synonyms below are for dig (away), not for dig.

  1. to devote serious and sustained effort

    "it took days of digging away at the subject, but he understands it thoroughly now"

    similar: bang away, beaver (away), drudge, endeavor, fag, grub, hump, hustle, labor, moil, peg (away), plod, plow, plug, slave, slog, strain, strive, struggle, sweat, toil, travail, tug, work, sweat blood
    related: apply (oneself), buckle (down), dig in, hammer (away), knuckle down, pitch in, attack, drive, essay, try, exercise, exert, overexert, overwork, eke out, grind (out), put out, scrabble, scratch, trudge, wade
    near: break, ease (up), let up, slacken, bum, chill, dally, dillydally, footle, goldbrick, goof (off), hack (around), hang (around or out), idle, laze, loaf, lounge, shirk, slack (off), veg out, bask, loll, relax, repose, rest, unwind, dabble, doodle, fool around, fribble, goof (around), hang, hang about (British), mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle

Related Entry: Dig (into) (verb)

Dig (into) is a different word from Dig. The synonyms below are for dig (into), not for dig.

  1. to search through or into

    "we anxiously dug into the old records that we found in the 19th-century house that we were restoring"

    similar: delve (into), examine, explore, inquire (into), investigate, look (into), probe, research, check into, check up on
    related: inspect, sift, study, view, browse, cruise, peruse, scan, skim (through), surf, thumb (through), reinvestigate

Related Entry: Dig (through) (verb)

Dig (through) is a different word from Dig. The synonyms below are for dig (through), not for dig.

  1. to look through (as a place) carefully or thoroughly in an effort to find or discover something

    "I roughly dug through the closet looking for my shoes"

    similar: comb, dredge, hunt (through), rake, ransack, rifle, rummage, scour, search, sort (through), troll
    related: frisk, pat down, shake down, audit, check (out), examine, inspect, investigate, review, scan, scrutinize, survey, ascertain, descry, detect, determine, discover, ferret (out), find, find out, get, hit (on or upon), learn, locate, run down, scare up, track (down), grub (about), poke (around), explore, probe, prospect, skirmish, snoop, browse, glance (over), look over, peruse, study
    near: hide, abandon, lose, ignore, neglect

Related Entry: Dig out (verb)

Dig out is a different word from Dig. The synonyms below are for dig out, not for dig.

  1. to come upon after searching, study, or effort

    "she dug her old art supplies out of the basement"

    similar: ascertain, descry, detect, determine, dig up, discover, dredge (up), ferret (out), find, find out, get, hit (on or upon), hunt (down or up), learn, locate, nose out, root (out), rout (out), rummage, run down, scare up, scout (up), track (down), turn up
    related: espy, sight, spot, look for, search (for or out), seek
    opposite: miss, overlook, pass over
    near: lose, mislay, misplace, misset

  2. to leave a place often for another

    "without saying where she was going, the young woman dug out early the next morning"

    similar: bail, bail out, begone, book (slang), bug off, bug out, bugger off (British slang), buzz (off), clear off (chiefly British), clear out, cut out, depart, exit, get, get off, go, go off, move, pack (up or off), part, peel off, pike (out or off), pull out, push off, push on, quit, run along, sally (forth), scarper (British), shove (off), step (along), take off, vamoose, walk out, beat it, hit the road, pull stakes, take a hike, take a powder
    related: set out, start, strike out, abscond, decamp, escape, evacuate, flee, fly, get out, mizzle (chiefly British), run away, scat, scram, skip, go out, light out, step out, abandon, desert, forsake, vacate, emigrate, adjourn, remove, retire, retreat, withdraw
    opposite: arrive, come, show up, turn up
    near: abide, dwell, lodge, remain, settle, stay, tarry, approach, close, near, hit, land, reach

Related Entry: Dig up (verb)

Dig up is a different word from Dig. The synonyms below are for dig up, not for dig.

  1. to come upon after searching, study, or effort

    "she tried to dig up any information she could for the report on sharks"

    similar: ascertain, descry, detect, determine, dig out, discover, dredge (up), ferret (out), find, find out, get, hit (on or upon), hunt (down or up), learn, locate, nose out, root (out), rout (out), rummage, run down, scare up, scout (up), track (down), turn up
    related: espy, sight, spot, look for, search (for or out), seek
    opposite: miss, overlook, pass over
    near: lose, mislay, misplace, misset

Related Entry: Dig in (verb)

Dig in is a different word from Dig. The synonyms below are for dig in, not for dig.

  1. as in keep up, hang on

    similar: hang on, keep up, carry on, persevere, persist, follow through (with), knuckle down
    opposite: give up, knock off, quit, bow, give in, submit, succumb, surrender, yield, falter, hang back, hesitate, shilly-shally, vacillate, waver, wobble

  2. as in chow (down)

    similar: chow (down), banquet, feast, repast, glut, gorge, gormandize, overeat, overfeed, pig out, dine, eat, fare, feed, partake, refresh, victual, graze, nibble, nosh, pick, snack, board, dine out, mess, breakfast, lunch, sup, picnic
    opposite: diet, fast

  3. as in curl up, burrow

    similar: burrow, curl up, anchor, bivouac, camp, camp (out), harbor, house, deploy, emplace, fix, locate, park, plant, position, set, situate, station, ensconce, install, lodge, nestle, perch, roost, settle

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Dig

The most common words with a similar meaning to Dig:

Chiefly British: diggings, flat
Slang: dis
excavate, shovel, adore, delight (in), enjoy, fancy, get off (on), groove (on), like, love, rejoice (in), relish, revel (in), savor, appreciate, apprehend, assimilate, behold, catch, catch on (to), cognize, compass, comprehend, conceive, cotton (to or on to), decipher, decode, discern, get, grasp, grok, intuit, know, make, make out, perceive, recognize, register, savvy, see

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Dig

Words with the opposite meaning of Dig:

miss

Related Words for Dig

dredge, burrow, claw, grub, dig in, scoop, spade, delve, mine, quarry, admire, cherish, revere, venerate, worship, prize, treasure, value, devour, drink (in), eat (up), feast (on), dote (on), idolize, cotton (to), favor, prefer, indulge (in), luxuriate (in), wallow (in)

Near Antonyms of Dig

fill (in), smooth (out or over), abhor, abominate, detest, dislike, hate, loathe, condemn, despise, scorn, misapprehend, misconceive, misconstrue, misinterpret, misperceive, misread, mistake, misunderstand, accolade, commendation, compliment, acclaim, applause, praise, adulation, flattery

Word Forms of Dig

Inflections: dug, digging

Origin & Etymology of Dig

Middle English diggen

First known use: 13th centuryt

Words & Phrases Containing Dig

dig in, dig in one's heels, dig out, dig up, dig for, dig into

Frequently Asked Questions about Dig

What does "Dig" mean?

"Dig" means to break up, turn, or loosen (earth) with an implement. As an a verb, a noun and an abbreviation, it is defined as: to break up, turn, or loosen (earth) with an implement. It has 7 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Dig"?

Other words for "Dig" include excavate, shovel, adore, delight (in), enjoy, fancy, get off (on) and groove (on). The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Dig" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Dig"?

There are 186 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Dig". Common alternatives include excavate, shovel, adore, delight (in), enjoy, fancy, get off (on), groove (on), like and love.

What is the opposite of "Dig"?

Antonyms of "Dig" include miss. Near antonyms include fill (in), smooth (out or over), abhor and abominate.

How do you use "Dig" in a sentence?

Examples of "Dig" in a sentence: "a backhoe dug a hole in the backyard to make a swimming pool"; "I really dig bluegrass music"; "can you dig what I'm saying?".

Is "Dig" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Dig" can be used as a verb, a noun and an abbreviation, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Dig"?

"Dig" is pronounced /ˈdig/.

What is the origin of the word "Dig"?

"Dig" comes from Middle English diggen. First known use: 13th centuryt.