English Meaning & Definitions
To do something that will cause one's own failure, downfall, or serious trouble.
- “By lying to his boss about the project's progress, he was effectively digging his own grave.”
- “If you continue to ignore the safety regulations, you are digging your own grave.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “dig your own grave”.
The idiom is a metaphorical extension of the literal act of preparing one's own burial site. It gained prominence in the 19th century, drawing on the grim reality that in times of war or execution, victims were often forced to dig their own graves. Figuratively, it evolved to describe self-destructive behavior where an individual's actions inevitably lead to their own downfall or ruin.
Visualize a person holding a shovel, standing in a hole they are making, and realizing that the deeper they dig, the harder it will be to climb out of their own mess.
Frequently Asked Questions About “dig your own grave”
1. What is the meaning of “dig your own grave” in English?
In English, dig your own grave (idiom) is defined as: “To do something that will cause one's own failure, downfall, or serious trouble.”.
2. How do you use “dig your own grave” in a sentence?
“By lying to his boss about the project's progress, he was effectively digging his own grave.”
3. What are English synonyms of “dig your own grave”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “dig your own grave”?
The idiom is a metaphorical extension of the literal act of preparing one's own burial site. It gained prominence in the 19th century, drawing on the grim reality that in times of war or execution, victims were often forced to dig their own graves. Figuratively, it evolved to describe self-destructive behavior where an individual's actions inevitably lead to their own downfall or ruin.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.