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digging
When used to describe the general act of moving earth or the investigative process of uncovering secrets, this word is typically uncountable. In these contexts, it refers to an activity or a method rather than a discrete event.
However, when referring to a specific archaeological excavation or a site where mining occurs, the word becomes countable. In such cases, it denotes a particular project or location, allowing for the plural form "diggings" to describe multiple sites or the results of an excavation.
Meanings
The act or process of breaking up and moving earth using a tool or machinery.
The digging of the new foundation took three weeks.
The act of searching for information, often in a secretive or persistent manner.
After some digging, the journalist discovered the company's hidden debts.
The systematic excavation of an archaeological site to find artifacts.
The team spent the summer at the Roman digging in Kent.
Examples
Stop digging in the garden or you will ruin the flowerbeds.
I did some digging and found out that he used to live in Paris.
The dog spent the whole afternoon digging a hole under the fence.
We need a proper digging tool for this rocky soil.
The professor is leading a new digging in Egypt this winter.
I can't believe she is still digging into my past.
The construction crew started the digging for the basement yesterday.
Is that a digging fork or a regular garden fork?
Keep digging until you hit the water pipe.