dig into

phrasal verb

dug into; digging into; digs into

: to mix (something) into (soil) by digging

dig the compost into the soil

informal : to begin eating (something)

The family was digging into a delicious meal.

They dug into their steaks.

somewhat informal : to try to learn or uncover information by studying (something)

The detectives dug into his past and learned that he had once lived in another country.

: to push against (a body part) in a sharp and painful way

The bed's springs are digging into my back.

Her fingernails dug into my hand.

: to push (something) into (a body part) in a sharp and painful way

She dug her fingernails into my hand.

He dug his elbow into my ribs.

Examples of dig into in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web That opportunistic behavior was documented at one of NDA’s Field to Fork events in Missouri in 2022, when a new hunter began to approach his first deer just as a skunk crawled onto the dead doe’s back and dug into the backstraps. —

Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 23 May 2024 In the Spotlight is a Sacramento Bee series that digs into the high-profile local issues that readers care most about. —

Darrell Smith, Sacramento Bee, 23 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for dig into

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dig into.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.