Dig — Defs

01 v. t. To turn up, or delve in, (earth) with a spade or a hoe; to open, loosen, or break up (the soil) with a spade, or other sharp instrument; to…

imp. & p. p. Dug; p. pr. & vb. n. Digging

1.
To turn up, or delve in, (earth) with a spade or a hoe; to open, loosen, or break up (the soil) with a spade, or other sharp instrument; to pierce, open, or loosen, as if with a spade.
“Be first to dig the ground.” — Dryden.
2.
To get by digging; as, to dig potatoes, or gold.
3.
To hollow out, as a well; to form, as a ditch, by removing earth; to excavate; as, to dig a ditch or a well.
4.
To thrust; to poke.[Colloq.]
“You should have seen children . . . dig and push their mothers under the sides, saying thus to them: Look, mother, how great a lubber doth yet wear pearls.” — Robynson (More's Utopia).
5.
To like; enjoy; admire.[Colloq.]

Phrases & compounds

To dig down — to undermine and cause to fall by digging; as, to dig down a wall.

To dig from — to get out or obtain by digging; as, to dig coal from or out of a mine; to dig out fossils; to dig up a tree. The preposition is often omitted; as, the men are digging coal, digging iron ore, digging potatoes.

To dig in — to cover by digging; as, to dig in manure.

to dig in one's heels — To offer stubborn resistance.

02 v. i. To work with a spade or other like implement; to do servile work; to delve.

1.
To work with a spade or other like implement; to do servile work; to delve.
“Dig for it more than for hid treasures.” — Job iii. 21.

“I can not dig; to beg I am ashamed.” — Luke xvi. 3.
2.
To take ore from its bed, in distinction from making excavations in search of ore.(Mining)
3.
To work hard or drudge;[U. S.]
“Peter dug at his books all the harder.” — Paul L. Ford.
4.
Of a tool: To cut deeply into the work because ill set, held at a wrong angle, or the like, as when a lathe tool is set too low and so sprung into the work.(Mach.)

Phrases & compounds

To dig out — to depart; to leave, esp. hastily; decamp.

03 v. t. To understand; as, do you dig me?.

1.
To understand; as, do you dig me?.[slang]
2.
To notice; to look at; as, dig that crazy hat!.[slang]
3.
To appreciate and enjoy; as, he digs classical music as well as rock.[slang]

04 n. A thrust; a punch; a poke; as, a dig in the side or the ribs. See Dig, v. t., 4.

1.
A thrust; a punch; a poke; as, a dig in the side or the ribs. See Dig, v. t., 4.[Colloq.] See: Dig
2.
A plodding and laborious student.[Cant, U.S.]
3.
A tool for digging.[Dial. Eng.]
4.
An act of digging.
5.
An amount to be dug.
6.
same as Gouge.(Mining) See: Gouge
7.
a critical and sometimes sarcastic or insulting remark, but often good-humored; as, celebrities at a roast must suffer through countless digs.
8.
An archeological excavation site.