1. reach inside a receptacle and search for something: "she delved in her pocket"Similarrummage (around) insearch (through)hunt throughscrabble around inroot around inferret (around) infish around inpoke around indig ingrub around ingo throughburrow inrifle throughscourransackturn upside downturn inside outinformal:rootle around infossick throughrare:roust around in
▪ research or make painstaking inquiries into something: "the society is determined to delve deeper into the matter"Similarinvestigateconduct investigations intomake inquiries intoinquire intoprobeexamineexploreresearchstudylook intogo intotry to get to the bottom of
2. dig; excavate:archaic"when Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?"
Word OriginOld Englishdelfan ‘dig’, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch delven.
