1no object Break up and move earth with a tool or machine, or with hands, paws, snout, etc.

那只野猪一直在扒树根。

她得把花园挖一挖。

当局因为在公路上挖掘而造成混乱。

1. 1.1with object Make (a hole, grave, etc.) by breaking up and moving earth.
   挖（洞、坟墓等）
   he took a spade and dug a hole

   他拿起锹挖了个洞。

   a newly dug grave

   新挖的坟墓。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Here though, in the local graveyard, the sweat and the labour of the man who digs the grave seem even closer to the eternal.
   • I've got other members of the family digging the graves.
   • Then they dug the hole wider so that they could pull the statue out.
   • I grabbed a spade and frantically dug a hole in the garden, hoping like hell my flatmate wouldn't turn up during the process.
   • A few of the people on the community took his advice and dug the post holes and carted the timber to make the enormous trellises required to grow these fruit.
   • He digs holes in my flower beds, poops in my yard, and recently has decided to make my front flower bed his own personal bathroom.
   • At one action project, participants dug holes to place signs at a new park.
   • With the trowel, he dug a little hole, making it just deep enough that the grain sprout would still be able to push through the dirt on top of it.
   • She watched anxiously out her daughter's bedroom window as Jack dug a three-foot hole in the backyard.
   • We arrived to the clan cemetery and I watched as my uncles brought the casket to the newly dug hole and they lowered it in.
   • Also use a spade anytime you want to dig a straight-sided hole.
   • He went out and bought a spade and began digging a grave.
   • Around 40,000 holes are dug each year in London's roads alone.
   • Eventually, by digging foot holes in the ice with my ice pick, I was slowly able to crawl up to reach the summit where the sandstone ledge jutted out.
   • For even though the mother turtle carefully and craftily dug a hole, laid the eggs and then patted the sand down, they were found.
   • When I die, a man will prepare my body for burial and dig my grave and again a male pastor will most likely conduct my funeral service and commit my body to the ground.
   • They also steal tulip and crocus bulbs from newly planted beds, dig holes in gardens to get at seeds and bury nuts, and gobble seed from bird feeders.
   • They were forced to dig a hole in the grave to bury the statue.
   • I was digging holes and calling them earthworks.
   • In the underground cable-digging system, 2-3 holes are dug for every kilometre.

   Synonyms

   excavate, dig out, quarry, hollow out, scoop out, gouge out, cut, bore, tunnel, burrow, mine, channel
2. 1.2with object and adverbial Extract from the ground by breaking up and moving earth.
   掘起，挖掘出
   they dug up fossils of an animal about the size of a turkey

   Example sentencesExamples

   • It's also worthwhile surrounding your pots and trays with netting (or prickly holly clippings) to prevent these rodents digging up the seeds.
   • The flute was dug up in a cave in the Swabian mountains in south-western Germany, and pieced back together again from 31 fragments.
   • The dogs from next door often burrow under the fence and into my garden digging up plants.
   • Dahlias are best dug up and brought in when the foliage has been blacked by the first frosts, although warmer winters do give them a better chance of surviving in the garden.
   • Spectacle is what lets us say that plants can be dug up and put in a place together (that the land and the process of growing are separate from the growth of the plant).
   • ‘I've even had treasure in my court and coins which were found when a graveyard was being dug up,’ he said.
   • The movie ends with a harrowing scene of the father digging up his son's coffin, only to discover a piece of wood inside the box.
   • His best known line was that archaeologists dig up people not things.
   • The bones of legendary outlaw Robin Hood may have been dug up in the mid-18th Century, according to a history buff.
   • Some flower thieves were fined just last month for digging up 300 quid's worth from a Norfolk garden.
   • The site preparation work has commenced which entails digging up and levelling some 40 million cubic metres of earth.
   • Rabbits who have taken up residence on the remains of a 14th century manor house in England are digging up fragments of a medieval glass window.
   • Piles of earth around the coffin showed it had recently been dug up, and it appears the decaying lid was smashed to get at the bones.
   • I will put a stone plaque over the place where we have reburied them so they are never dug up again.
   • We must have been down there a hour and a half whilst the guide, an ex-miner showed us how coal was dug up in Victorian times right up to the mechanised way they do it nowadays.
   • Actually, the giant marine reptile whose remains have lain buried near Whitby for 185 million years and who was dug up last week doesn't actually have a name, yet.
   • Is it still there, waiting to be dug up like buried treasure?
   • In fact archaeologists dig up things not people; and that's the whole point.
   • I have got a plot reserved for myself at the foot of their graves, but I don't like the thought of them being dug up later, splitting up the family.

   Synonyms

   unearth, dig up, pull up, grub up, root up, root out, bring to the surface, extract from the ground

   exhume, disinter, unearth, bring to the surface, bring out of the ground
3. 1.3dig in (of a soldier) protect oneself by making a trench or similar ground defense.
   （士兵）挖战壕（或类似的地面掩体）
   Example sentencesExamples

   • The soldiers were dug in on both sides of the bridge from where they mounted a deafening defence using tanks, artillery and RPGs.
   • The English troops, mainly archers and foot soldiers, dug in behind wooden stakes between thickly wooded ground.
   • They were like soldiers in the trenches when they dug in to repel waves of attack when beating the Dutch 1-0 at Lansdowne Road in the qualifiers.
   • Being in the studio is about digging in the trenches, rediscovering music and peeling off the layers to find out what it all means.
   • Rather than give up the territory which they already held, the Germans dug in to protect themselves from the guns of the advancing Allies.
   • Today the soldiers are dug in behind sandbags and pickup trucks with mounted machine guns patrol the streets.
   • Fighting against well dug in troops and defences that had been prepared years in advance they clawed their way over the dunes and onto the coastlines and into the hedgerows.
   • Eventually, they were forced to retreat, and moved north to the River Aisne where they dug in, setting the pattern of trench warfare for the next four years.
   • So they dug in and trench warfare lasted for the next 3 years.
   • US intelligence estimates there are about 3,000 insurgents dug in behind defences and booby traps in the city of about 300,000 people.
   • Everywhere she looked, Sara saw soldiers hard at work, mostly digging in.
   • An enemy that dug in to fight on the high ground would be an entirely different situation.
   • He says about 15,000 soldiers are dug in, ready to defend the city.
   • Exhausted by their previous encounters, both armies dug in for battles that were precursors to the trench warfare of World War I.
   • They began to dig in while First Brigade moved in behind as reserve.
   • In an attack map, success depends on a quick strike into the enemy defences before they become too dug in.
   • On June 26, the battalion had moved up and begun to dig in to a new position when the tell-tale sound of an incoming shell was heard.
4. 1.4with object Excavate (an archaeological site)
   发掘（考古遗址）
   apart from digging a site, recording evidence is important

   除了发掘遗址，记录证据也是很重要的。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Archaeologists digging in Jerusalem uncovered a piece of pottery inscribed with the name Goliath.
   • It may seem, from our news pages, that British archaeologists are digging an endless supply of good sites.
   • We may dig, study, and scrutinize every part of Stonehenge, but we will never know all of the secrets of the ancient megalith known as Stonehenge.
   • He said that recognising that this might be part of an ancient human, he had continued to dig at the site and collected more pieces of skull.
   • Close attention had to be paid to stratification while digging, and his excavation assistants had to be properly trained.
   • No convincing pyre sites were found, possibly because of the way the site was dug.
   • Hundreds of such bottles were recovered from a site being dug for construction of a Guest House for the Bangalore District Police.
   • Just digging the site was an achievement in itself, he says.
   • Two double pit alignments were dug, one east of the northern henge, the other west of the southern.
   • On one of the three mounds on the machair there is Iron Age and Pictish pottery, and this summer we will dig the site to see if there was a sequence of farms in those periods.
   • The experts moved on to the site on Monday last week and began digging in search of any historical remains.
   • It was also unusual, he added, to be digging a site as recent as the 1880s for the express purpose of adding to local knowledge.
5. 1.5dig ininformal in imperative Used to encourage someone to start eating with gusto and have as much as they want.
   〈非正式〉开始吃；尽量多吃
   put the sausage on top of the polenta; then dig in

   Example sentencesExamples

   • His aunt and roommate conversed heartily on as they all began to dig in.
   • Smoke wafts in pungent plumes but fans of his cuisine dig in with gusto, claiming that the food ‘makes men men’.
   • Go on, now, fill up your plate and dig in.
   • After he had sat down and begun to eat Ella dug in.
   • I suppose that giving students just a small taste of the historical feast could whet their appetites and entice them to dig in heartily.
   • Tommy picked up his spoon and began to dig in, too.
   • Loving the smell of the meal in front of her (a green chili sauce for a chicken and a pile of home-made tortillas), she began digging in.
   • He suspected she'd still manage to catch every nuance of his reaction, though, so he took his spoon and dug in with all the heartiness he could summon.
   • The food comes, and she digs in.
   • I sighed happily as I sat down and began to dig in.
   • More than anything, it shows that food is a reflection of who we are as people - when she eats an Italian picnic on the floor of her otherwise perfect kitchen, the mess is almost more than she can bear, but soon she digs in with gusto.
   • My mom said: ‘grab a plate and dig in.’
   • By now the guests have started to hover around the buffet and Ismail, who is showing discreet signs of kitchen-fatigue, encourages all to dig in.
   • Despite my protests, I dug in heartily, taking a big bite of the savory food.
   • Scoop it out onto a plate and dig in.
   • Then a cake of gelled fruits coated with sugar and cream was placed before Alexander, and he dug in heartily.

2with object Push or poke something in or into.

他把手插入口袋。

1. 2.1 Search or rummage in a specified place.
   （在特定的地方）搜寻；翻查
   Catherine dug into her handbag and produced her card

   凯瑟琳在她的手提包里翻了翻，拿出了她的卡。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Again she said his name not expecting an answer, as she dug though his clothes and searched the room.
   • It does the search of the search engines for you, digging through ten search engines to generate your results.
   • After deciding that all signs of the injury were well hidden she began digging through the closet yet again in search of a shirt.
   • I was attending the funeral of a friend's father last year and a woman who was seated in the church in front of me started digging frantically in her handbag as her cell started ringing.
   • He saw the look but merely knelt and dug into his pack, pulling out what looked to be a very sharp knife.
   • She steeled herself for a long trip, dug into her bag, pulled out a datapad and began to read.
   • Jason dug into one of the pouches on his belt and took out a small camera and began to take pictures.
   • I dug around in it, searching for my CDs, but I couldn't find them.
   • Emily dug through the drawer, quickly searching for a black sock.
   • Deciding to steer clear of the bed for a bit, Christopher went over to one of his bags and began to dig through it, searching for his journal and pen.
   • Unzipping the bag, she dug through the contents until she found what she was searching for.
   • Barry dug through his pockets in search of the message.
   • They dug through their handbags for suitable implements to rescue them.
   • I dug into the case and flipped out a photo and the printed letter that went with it.
   • When the search engine visitor submits their query, the search engine digs through its database to give the final listing that is displayed on the results page.
   • Two minutes later, she dug into the back of her closet and pulled out a large backpack.
   • So here we are, digging through my closet in search of something blue.
   • He dug around for a few seconds in search of his cell-phone, but eventually gave up.
   • She dug through her backpack, desperately searching for the water pouch she knew she had with her.
   • I dug through my pockets, searching frantically for it, and I hadn't lost it.
2. 2.2 Engage in research; conduct an investigation.
   从事研究；进行调查
   he had no compunction about digging into her private affairs

   他对打探她的私事毫无悔意。

   a professional digging for information

   一次专业的信息调查。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • As host, his job was to conduct an interesting conversation rather than dig for historical footnotes.
   • But it's a debate worth engaging in - especially today as marketers dig deeper into what drives consumer behavior.
   • If the investigator didn't dig hard enough and fast enough, the whole issue would collapse as the walls caved in on him.
   • As investigators started digging the family member that he was living with lied to them about him staying there.
   • Celebrities are easy, but on a slow week the researchers have to dig, and they often find gold.
   • However, it always pays to dig deeper into a company's background before you invest to be aware of any inherent risks.
   • The researchers kept digging and uncovered one of the most complete skeletons ever found from this time period, the middle Miocene epoch.
   • Like most stores of its kind, you have to search and dig to find a steal.
   • Any researcher who has dug hard to find ‘the truth’ knows that it is rarely found in the media.
   • You have the qualification to be a top investigator or researcher as you doggedly dig out the facts of whatever matter you are pursuing.
   • With a natural talent for research, the Scorpio child wants to dig to the bottom of everything.
   • The program allows participants to dig deeper and engage in more robust conversations than in programs where attendees hail from different fields.
   • It implores the police to have a third eye when investigating such cases by digging deeper and bringing the culprits to book.
   • Journalists should dig deeper when researchers claim a treatment is effective, said the doctor.
   • It is when actions do not fit the character that the investigator starts to dig a little harder.
   • To reach its conclusions, the investigative committee had to do a bit of digging.
   • But investigators are determined to dig until they find the answer.
   • She digs deeper in her investigation, trying to get at the shared assumptions which underlie her subjects' diverse approaches to choosing and remaining with a partner.
   • His fingers went down to the keyboard and began to fly over it as he started to dig deeper and investigate it some more.
   • It is a challenge to historians of American economic development to dig more deeply and more broadly in future research.

   Synonyms

   delve, probe, search, enquire, look
3. 2.3dig intoinformal Find money from (somewhere)
   〈非正式〉从（某处）找到钱
   members have to dig deep into their pockets

   会员们必须继续掏出大把的钱。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • What method encourages you to dig into your pockets?
   • By the way, here's my birthday wish, if you felt like digging into your pockets today.
   • Dig into your pockets as deeply as you can and give.
   • We dug into the finances of football, and especially football in the Scottish SecondDivision.
   • They get carried away by the apparent bargains and dig deep into their pockets.
   • Find out just how deep you'll have to dig into your pockets if you want to buy a new house.
   • Well, how deeply would you dig into your pocket for the legacy of one of the most beloved composers of all time.
   • The Medicare trustees now say the system will have to start digging into its trust fund now.
4. 2.4dig something up/out Bring out or discover something after a search or investigation.
   （经搜寻或调查）发现（信息）
   they dug out last year's notes

   他们找出了去年的记录。

   have you dug up any information on the captain?

   你有没有发现有关队长的消息？

   Example sentencesExamples

   • So, dig out your latest bank statement, check it carefully and cancel the direct debits and standing orders that you don't need any more.
   • Manchester Royal Infirmary, which is losing 1,000 pairs of crutches a year, is hoping former patients will dig them out of the loft, garage or garden shed and bring them back - no questions asked.
   • I could dig out old journals and search but that's an activity fraught with danger.
   • Let me dig out a pen.
   • Releasing my now trembling hand, she searched through her black purse, digging out a lighter and pack of cigarettes.
   • Eventually, his research team dug up the English translation and the original story in Chinese and figured out what was going on.
   • The girls on the next to the back pew would inevitably dig out some gum or candy and share with the guys on the back pew.
   • For starters, where in the wide world of Wall Street are they going to dig up the investors to pony up the capital for yet another national wireless network?
   • If you want to spend a few moments with the big cheese himself, load your camera, dig out a pen, and get in line here.

   Synonyms

   uncover, unearth, dredge up, root out, hunt out, ferret out, nose out, sniff out, track down, extricate, find, find out, turn up, come across, discover, detect, reveal, bring to light, bring into the open, expose

3informal with object Like, appreciate, or understand.

我真的喜欢重摇滚。

1in singular An act or spell of digging.

对整块土地的彻底挖掘。

1. 1.1 An archaeological excavation.
   考古挖掘
   Example sentencesExamples

   • During a new dig, he has now discovered a rare Viking buckle with a ‘wonderful runic design’ dating back to the 10th century.
   • But time is running out for the dig which is scheduled to finish by February 14 when developers move on to the site…
   • About 100 volunteers, both young and old, attended the two-week dig.
   • About 700 trainees have worked at the four-year dig, and 65,000 visitors have come to watch the work in progress.
   • The children have had their own section of the dig and have uncovered a cobbled courtyard that stretches over 100 sq metres as well as animal bones and pottery.
   • All the dig revealed was natural chalk and flint glacial deposits, the archaeologist said.
   • The artefacts unearthed have intrigued university experts so much that they hope to continue the dig next year.
   • We found a grinding wheel during the dig, so one theory is that the water may have been pumped from the river through the culvert to power the machinery.
   • Do you think I could look around the dig for a while?
   • But a spokeswoman for the company said it was happy, regardless, to let the dig continue until its natural conclusion.
   • Three other artifacts found in the dig initially seemed at odds with a trash pit scenario.
   • The same dig also uncovered a silver decorated Roman cavalry helmet, the only one ever found in England.
   • That was when one of the archaeologists who was part of the dig stepped forward.
   • The dig has already uncovered a whet stone, which would have been used for sharpening knives, and a piece of a pottery jug dated back to at least the 17th century.
   • The training dig, which will last until September 5, is on the site of the mediaeval hospital of St Leonard's.
   • This week the dig finished and the remains, some dating back as far as the sixth century, are in Preston awaiting analysis.
   • But as a result of the find, the dig has been widened to see if the land contains any more artefacts.
   • A better project hypothesis would have been to uncover and analyze the findings of the dig, period.
   • The dig has uncovered the remains of a hut circle and unearthed lots of pottery, including Roman samianware and 17th century German ballamineware.
   • When an archaeological dig takes place, the position of each ‘find’ is carefully recorded on a plan of the area.

2A push or poke with one's elbow, finger, etc.

金尼在她姐姐的肋下捅了一下。

1. 2.1informal A remark intended to mock or criticize.
   〈非正式〉嘲讽；批评
   this was a cruel dig at Jenny

   Example sentencesExamples

   • I even had someone come up to me in the street and tell me I had let the country down, after TV commentators had a dig at me.
   • Most hilarious moments came when poets took a dig at politicians.
   • There is, finally, the standard dig at political-correctness.
   • Having said all that, I can't pretend to agree with every policy of the two great powers mentioned above and will continue to have a dig at them as the need arises.
   • It was a nasty dig about a girl's looks when she starts to spout unpopular opinions.
   • Was he also taking a sly dig at the Canadian pretense that we don't engage in American dreaming?
   • Rather than having a dig at the council and its street sweepers, why not raise a litter awareness campaign aimed at tourists who visit our city and get off our backs for a change.
   • I'm allowing you unregulated access to take digs at me and my opinions.
   • What's more, he is pretty sly in getting in his dig at Christianity for its highly unlikely belief in the virgin birth.
   • A message inside some bags and backpacks takes a dig at an unidentified president - but you have to know the secret language to understand it.
   • Instead, this is a charming memoir of a Caribbean childhood, a celebration of the good things in life, and a gentle dig at a set of values that are long gone and unlamented.
   • While criticising communal parties, he had a dig at the Congress, saying that people know the aims and objectives of communal forces.
   • He made a pointed dig at France, Germany and Belgium.
   • The show also takes a dig at current Anglo-American relations.
   • Both times it's over something apparently insignificant that - I'm later told by someone at Island - Heidi interprets as a dig at her and her background.
   • It savages venal music industry poseurs and also takes a dig at the clash between ‘art’ and pop culture.
   • His statement was a clear dig at the negative reaction to his claim last weekend that a gay clique in the Democratic Alliance was behind sexual harassment allegations against him.
   • He followed that with a dig at ‘damaging media coverage that is already so badly affecting our overseas markets and day visitors’.
   • The Flemish version of the news item has a dig at Dutch cuisine, because they only got two 2-star restaurants.
   • Unintentionally or not, it even takes a dig at humans.

   Synonyms

   snide remark, cutting remark, jibe, jeer, taunt, sneer, insult, barb, slur, slight, affront, insinuation