1 B1 idiomatic neutral
To investigate something thoroughly and in depth.
"The committee dug into the company's accounting records and found serious irregularities."
dig into
B1 neutral transitive
To investigate something thoroughly, or to push into a surface, or to start eating food with enthusiasm.
In plain English
To really look deeply into something to find out more, or to start eating your food.
What does "dig into" mean?
4 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 A2 idiomatic informal
To start eating food with energy and enthusiasm.
"He sat down and dug into the enormous plate of pasta."
3 B1 neutral
Of something physical: to press or cut into a surface or body part, causing discomfort.
"The straps of her bag were digging into her shoulder."
4 B2 idiomatic neutral
To use money from savings or a reserve fund.
"We had to dig into our savings to cover the repair costs."
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To use a spade or similar tool to move into a specific material.
Actually means
To really look deeply into something to find out more, or to start eating your food.
Usage tip
Very common in investigative journalism, academic, and business language for thorough investigation. Also common informally for food. The physical sense (something digging into skin or flesh) is also widely used.
Words that pair with "dig into"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
savings details past reserves data steak
How to conjugate "dig into"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
dig into
I/you/we/they
3rd person
digs into
he/she/it
Past simple
diged into
yesterday
Past participle
diged into
have + pp
-ing form
diging into
continuous
Hear "dig into" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "dig into" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.