DIGGING Synonyms: 133 Similar and Opposite Words

digging

verb

present participle of dig

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

as in enjoying

to take pleasure in I really dig bluegrass music

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in knowing

to have a clear idea of can you dig what I'm saying?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in poking

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 Mining companies turned to the thinner seams that remained, digging through mountains to reach and then mine them. — Howard Berkes, NPR, 5 Aug. 2026 There’s more than a bunch of rocks to be found when digging deep underground, but even researchers were surprised after a recent survey beneath the Great Lakes. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 29 July 2026 The bra stayed in place throughout daily activities without digging, slipping, or requiring adjustment. — Jenny Berg, InStyle, 29 July 2026 Now officials are digging deep, into their pockets at least, to turn things around for the destination previously considered a safe haven in the Middle East. — Tamara Hardingham-Gill, CNN Money, 28 July 2026 More clips began to circulate as folks started digging through the robust archive on Lagasse’s YouTube. — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2026 Share high-level findings promptly while spending time digging fully into the data. — Kate Wieczorek, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026 Safety Ji’Ayir Brown did a good job of digging a short pass from Purdy off the ground for an interception. — Matt Barrows, New York Times, 28 July 2026 The moat In June, Higgs responded to his neighbors’ ongoing frustration by digging a moat to divert rain water. — Zuri Primos july 27, Kansas City Star, 27 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for digging

Verb

The roughly six-mile-wide (10-kilometer-wide) asteroid struck Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, excavating the Chicxulub crater and vaporizing enormous quantities of rock.

— Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 1 Aug. 2026
The team tried excavating another unknown soldier from an unrelated case just a day before, but were unsuccessful.

— Hope McKenney, NPR, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of excavating

Verb

Couples from Copenhagen enjoying a sunny weekend away, as well as the odd tourist.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Aug. 2026
Just over four years ago in May 2022, 10-year-old Ukrainian rhythmic gymnast Sasha Paskal and her mother, Maria, were enjoying some time together in the scenic seaside village of Zatoka in the Odesa region of southwestern Ukraine.

— Emile Nuh, CNN Money, 31 July 2026

Definition of enjoying

Verb

One staffer who is still at the CDC said much of her anger is tied up in knowing that Kennedy’s feelings about vaccines are similar to the shooter’s.

— Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
There’s a quiet comfort in knowing your neighbors, especially in a sprawling, sometimes lonely city like Los Angeles.

— Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of knowing

Verb

At first glance, corals present as little more than colorful rocks — piles of lobes, stalagmites, and branches poking out from the seafloor.

— Marlowe Starling, Quanta Magazine, 5 Aug. 2026
Carpenter suggests applying it to vertical surfaces, or using soaked cotton balls in open glass jars (or poking holes in the lids to allow the fumes to escape).

— The Spruce, The Spruce, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of poking

Verb

Western San Gabriel Mountains/Highway 14 Corridor When an air quality alert pops up on the radar, deciphering its implications is crucial.

— Southern California Weather Report, Daily News, 30 July 2026
Jonestown afflicted Naipaul’s vision, his way of deciphering not just political manias but the dreariness of urban life, the perpetual doom of the nuclear-arms race.

— Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 14 July 2026

Definition of deciphering

Verb

Brennan was previously convicted of second-degree murder with a deadly weapon after stabbing her 76-year-old mother to death with a butcher knife in Hollywood in 2014, according to a probable cause affidavit.

— Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2026
Sanders admitted to stabbing her sons to death in February 2018.

— Mike Toole, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of stabbing

Verb

Why not try taking the houseplant hobby to the next level by adding some humidity loving plants?

— Dr. Matthew Lisy, Hartford Courant, 1 Aug. 2026
My cart is packed with breezy maxi dresses, capri pants inspired by Jennifer Lopez, and ankle-wrap jelly sandals, a style celebs have been loving.

— Brooke Knappenberger, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026

Definition of loving

Browse Nearby Words

diggers

digging

digging (away)

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Style

“Digging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/digging. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of digging

verb

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