INDEX:
1. to dig earth out of the ground
2. to remove something from the ground by digging
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ HOLE
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1. to dig earth out of the ground
▷ dig /dɪg/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to make a hole in the ground, using your hands, a tool, or a machine :
▪ I found two dogs digging in the garden, looking for bones.
▪ He was paid twelve dollars an hour to dig ditches and mix cement.
dig for something
in order to find something
▪ There were two fishermen on the beach digging for worms.
dig a hole/ditch/grave etc
▪ The workmen began digging a hole in the middle of the road.
▪ Some of the prisoners escaped through a tunnel they had dug under the wall.
▷ excavate /ˈekskəveɪt/ [transitive verb] formal
excavate a hole/chamber/trench etc
to dig a deep or large hole, especially as a preparation for building something :
▪ The turtle excavates a hole in the sand and then lays its eggs in it.
▪ Workers had already begun excavating the foundations for the house.
▷ tunnel /ˈtʌnl/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to dig a long passage under the ground, especially one that people or vehicles can go through :
tunnel under/beneath/through etc
▪ Special drilling equipment is being used to tunnel beneath the sea bed.
▪ worms tunnelling through the mud
tunnel your way out/through/under etc
▪ After days of digging, the prisoners finally tunnelled their way out of the camp and escaped.
▷ burrow /ˈbʌrəʊǁˈbɜːrəʊ/ [intransitive/transitive verb not in passive]
if an animal burrows, it makes a passage under the ground by digging through the earth as it moves forward :
burrow into/under/through
▪ Toads burrow into the earth to hide from their enemies.
burrow a hole
▪ The rabbits had burrowed a hole under the fence.
▷ plough British /plow American /plaʊ/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to turn over the earth in a field using a special tool or machine in order to prepare it for growing crops :
▪ The fields are ploughed as soon as the winter crop is removed.
▪ Farmers were plowing their land and planting cotton seeds.
2. to remove something from the ground by digging
▷ dig out /ˌdɪg ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to remove something that is just below or partly below the surface of the ground by digging :
dig somebody/something out
▪ What do we do with these trees after we’ve dug them out?
▪ The spade was missing, and we had no choice but to dig the weeds out by hand.
dig out something
▪ A couple of local people helped us dig out the car, which was by now completely stuck in the mud.
▷ dig up /ˌdɪg ˈʌp/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to dig, and remove something from the ground that is buried or that is growing there :
dig up something
▪ Thieves came in the night and dug up the body.
▪ I don’t know why archaeologists get such a thrill from digging up broken pots.
dig something up
▪ Squirrels bury hundreds of nuts, then dig them up in winter when food is scarce.
▷ excavate /ˈekskəveɪt/ [transitive verb]
to remove ancient objects from the ground or uncover ancient houses, villages etc, by taking away the earth carefully :
▪ Archaeologists are excavating a Bronze Age settlement on the outskirts of the village.
▪ The mosaics excavated in 1989 have now been fully restored.
excavation /ˌekskəˈveɪʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
▪ The excavation revealed layer after layer of ancient fortifications.
▷ mine /maɪn/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to take minerals such as coal, iron, or diamonds out of the ground, especially by digging a deep hole and a series of passages :
▪ Lead has been mined in this area for hundreds of years.
▪ The church was built by Don José de la Borda, who made his fortune mining silver.
mine for gold/silver etc
▪ Most of the new settlers came here to mine for gold.
mine [countable noun]
▪ Before World War I more than a million workers labored in the coal mines of Great Britain.