digging

present participle of dig
1
as in excavating
to hollow out or form (something) by removing earth a backhoe dug a hole in the backyard to make a swimming pool

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of digging Nelson may have guessed correctly on the president digging his heels into tariffs seven years on from his first term, but the taxes may not be around for much longer. Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2025 When digging, be careful not to cut through the tubers or bruise the spuds with rough handling. Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Oct. 2025 Test your soil by digging a planting hole and filling it with water. Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 18 Oct. 2025 But their expert digging skills leave behind multiple tunnels that mar your lawn and make mowing difficult. Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2025 While digging there, archaeologists found artifacts — both written and visual — that offered clues to ancient culinary practices. Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2025 Jeanroy squats down, nudges Taïga aside, and starts digging with a cavadou—a sort of pick that resembles a very scary dental tool. Aislyn Greene, AFAR Media, 15 Oct. 2025 In 1817, however, thousands of men began digging the 4-foot-deep channel using hand shovels and pickaxes. Christine Keiner, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2025 Helgelien’s questions — and his discovery of his brother’s personal effects — led authorities to begin digging on the property. Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for digging
Verb
  • Instead of adding external chemicals or excavating polluted layers, the soil itself becomes a dynamic system capable of regenerating its quality over time.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Archaeologists plan to continue analyzing these artifacts and excavating the area around the ancient basin.
    Aspen Pflughoeft, Kansas City Star, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • This was welcome news to the 18 million Americans of Italian descent enjoying Italian-American heritage month each October.
    Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Jessica Alba is enjoying some downtime on the beach in Australia.
    Danielle Minnetian, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • At last weekend’s general assembly of Barcelona club members, Laporta tried to thread a delicate path when defending the plan to play a domestic game over 4,500 miles away, knowing that Tebas is not exactly popular with his team’s supporters.
    Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Her mother, a pediatric critical care nurse, was working her shift at Hennepin County Medical Center, where several of the wounded were taken, before even knowing her children’s school was involved.
    Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Or use your finger, poking it about 2 inches into the soil.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Matthew McConaughey is poking fun at himself.
    Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Roughly 24 hours later, Yurov made good on that promise, shoveling a loose puck over the goal line for the eventual game-winner as the Wild beat the Rangers 3-1 at Madison Square Garden.
    Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Stolarz noted how the Leafs played offence, shovelling pucks from down low to the points.
    Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • There’s a masochism element of loving being put through the ringer in some capacity.
    Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Your voice, your art, and your light will remain forever in the history of Ecuador, but above all, in the hearts of those of us who had the privilege of loving you.
    Shyla Watson, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Though historians have called for further research before making claims, the proposal of a script rooted in sign language might open the chance to explore a new way of deciphering Mayan art and show the ancient civilization to be even more sophisticated and efficient than scholars even knew.
    Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2025
  • Now, a team of international astronomers has succeeded in deciphering the gravitational wave signal, GW190412, to determine more about the collision and the resulting event that sent an infant black hole hurtling through space.
    Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Usiripalli is accused of stabbing two 17-year-old boys, one in the shoulder area and one in the back of the head, with the same metal fork while on a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt on Saturday, according to the news release.
    Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
  • No information on the stabbing party has been released.
    David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Digging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/digging. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

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