1.
grave; burial pit
A hole dug in the ground for burying a coffin or remains.
墓穴を掘る作業が始まった。
The work of digging the grave began.
深い墓穴に棺が下ろされた。
The coffin was lowered into the deep grave.
雨の中、墓穴を掘り終えるまで何時間もかかった。
It took hours to finish digging the grave in the rain.
2.
one's own undoing; self-inflicted ruin
Used figuratively in the expression 墓穴を掘る (to dig one's own grave), meaning to cause one's own downfall through careless actions or words.
余計なことを言って墓穴を掘った。
I dug my own grave by saying something unnecessary.
嘘をついて墓穴を掘るな。
Don't dig your own grave by lying.
弁明しようとして、かえって墓穴を掘ってしまった。
In trying to justify myself, I ended up digging my own grave.
USAGE:
The figurative sense (sense 2) is much more common in everyday speech than the literal sense. The expression 墓穴を掘る (to dig one's own grave) is a set phrase used when someone's own words or actions lead to their downfall.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 墓穴を掘る (to dig one's own grave — literal and figurative)
- 自ら墓穴を掘る (to dig one's own grave oneself)
RELATED WORDS:
- 墓: grave, tomb
- 自滅: self-destruction
- 墓地: cemetery