dig (away)

verb

Definition of dig (away)next
as in to labor
to devote serious and sustained effort it took days of digging away at the subject, but he understands it thoroughly now

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dig (away)
  1. labor
  2. struggle
  3. strive
  4. work
Verb
  • Jaylen Wright labored all week, fighting his way back from a foot injury that sidelined him the previous game.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026
  • With the Dodgers’ lead cut to one run, Skubal labored through the rest of the sixth inning, issuing a pair of walks, his first of the game.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of labor
Verb
  • At that time, the company’s Fisher-Price, Barbie and American Girl brands were struggling to connect with changing consumer tastes and Mattel was reeling from the recent bankruptcy of Toys R Us.
    — Sarah Whitten, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026
  • But, like many Universities, Drexel has been struggling financially, in part due to declining enrollment.
    — Andrew Stelzer, NPR, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of struggle
Verb
  • And day by day, play by play, Dunnigan is striving to improve.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2026
  • These steps are consistent with any institution of excellence that is constantly striving for improvement.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of strive
Verb
  • Anderson of Johns Hopkins has been working with a dozen other researchers, through grants from Arnold Ventures, to study prices more and contemplate state-level legislation that mirrors the CBO’s options.
    — Bob Herman, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Last week, a crew of 25 people worked from early Monday through late Friday to get the second-term transformation ready, making the finishing touches on Saturday.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of work
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.

Browse Nearby Words

dig
dig (away)
digest
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dig (away).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dig%20%28away%29. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All