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dig in

B1 informal intransitive
In simple words

Start eating, or stay in one place and refuse to move or give up.

Literal meaning: To dig a hole and get inside it (military origin).

Meanings

1 A2 idiomatic informal

To begin eating food enthusiastically; used especially as an invitation to start a meal.

"The food's getting cold — everyone dig in!"

2 B2 neutral

Of soldiers: to dig defensive positions in the ground and entrench oneself against attack.

"The troops dug in along the ridge and prepared to hold their position."

3 B2 idiomatic neutral

To refuse to change one's opinion or position; to become more determined in the face of opposition.

"Management dug in and refused to consider the workers' demands."

4 B1 idiomatic informal

To apply oneself seriously to a task or period of hard work.

"There's a lot to get done before Friday, so let's dig in."

Usage notes

The 'start eating' sense is a very common, friendly invitation. The military sense ('dig in' = entrench) is literal and historical. The figurative sense of refusing to budge is common in negotiations and politics. Always intransitive.

Commonly used with

troops heels position dinner food trenches

Forms

Base
dig in
I/you/we/they
3rd person
digs in
he/she/it
Past simple
diged in
yesterday
Past participle
diged in
have + pp
-ing form
diging in
continuous

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