dig in
Britishverb
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military to create (a defensive position) by digging foxholes, trenches, etc
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informal to entrench (oneself) firmly
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informal (intr) to defend or maintain a position firmly, as in an argument
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informal (intr) to begin vigorously to eat
don't wait, just dig in
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informal to refuse stubbornly to move or be persuaded
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Excavate trenches to defend oneself in battle and hold one's position, as in The battalion dug in and held on . This usage gained currency in the trench warfare of World War I. [Mid-1800s]
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Also, dig in one's heels . Adopt a firm position, be obstinate and unyielding. For example, Arthur refused to argue the point and simply dug in , or The dog dug in its heels and refused to move . [ Colloquial ; late 1800s]
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Begin to work intensively, as in If we all dig in it'll be done before dark. [ Colloquial ; second half of 1800s]
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Also, dig into . Begin to eat heartily, as in Even before all the food was on the table they began to dig in , or When the bell rang, the kids all dug into their lunches . [ Colloquial ; early 1900s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But before I could dig in—a process that required a fork and three napkins—I spotted him again.
From Literature
“Right. Sorry,” I said, and hurried to help her, grabbing the closest stack of papers and digging in.
From Literature
An elephant foot bone found by archaeologists digging in southern Spain may be evidence that a troop of war elephants stomped through ancient Europe.
From BBC
Men dig in flip‑flops through dense black earth, "cow dung", as a young girl sitting on full sacks calls it.
From Barron's
With expectations reset, now is the time to dig in.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
