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dig out

B1 neutral separable transitive
In simple words

To get something out that is buried, stuck, or hidden under a pile of things.

Literal meaning: To use a digging motion to bring something outward from a mass.

Meanings

1 B1 neutral

To free a person or thing that is trapped or buried under snow, rubble, or earth.

"Rescue workers spent hours digging out survivors from the collapsed building."

Grammar: separable
2 B1 idiomatic informal

To find and retrieve something from a pile, storage, or forgotten place after some effort.

"I dug out my old university notes and they were actually quite useful."

Grammar: separable
3 B2 neutral

To create a hole or space by removing earth or other material.

"They dug out the foundations for the new extension last week."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

Used both literally (digging people from rubble, snow) and informally (finding an old document or item from a pile). Very common in everyday English. When the object is a pronoun, it must go between 'dig' and 'out'.

Commonly used with

car files photo survivor snow rubble

Forms

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

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