excavate
verb
ex·ca·vate
ˈek-skə-ˌvāt 
excavated; excavating
1
: to form a cavity or hole in
2
: to form by hollowing out
3
: to dig out and remove
4
: to expose to view by or as if by digging away a covering
excavate the remains of a temple
: to make excavations
Examples of excavate in a Sentence
They excavated an ancient city.
It is the first site to be excavated in this area.
They began excavating the backyard for their new pool.
The excess dirt was carefully excavated.
Recent Examples on the Web
Deserted until 1812, it was rediscovered by Swiss explorer Johann Burckhardt, though nearly 80 percent of Petra still hasn't been excavated or explored.
—
Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 21 Dec. 2024
Using the largest available tunnel boring machine (TBM) on Earth, the China Railway 14th Bureau Group Co., Ltd. is still excavating the main section of the 3.6-mile (5,755 m) tunnel.
—New Atlas, 20 Dec. 2024
Rescue efforts have since been intensified, with heavy machinery brought in to excavate the area.
—Mark R. Weaver, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2024
With the help of volunteers excavating at Dartmoor National Park, the researcher has just announced new findings that further support this idea.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for excavate 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 21 Dec. 2024
Using the largest available tunnel boring machine (TBM) on Earth, the China Railway 14th Bureau Group Co., Ltd. is still excavating the main section of the 3.6-mile (5,755 m) tunnel.
—New Atlas, 20 Dec. 2024
Rescue efforts have since been intensified, with heavy machinery brought in to excavate the area.
—Mark R. Weaver, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2024
With the help of volunteers excavating at Dartmoor National Park, the researcher has just announced new findings that further support this idea.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for excavate
Dictionary Entries Near excavate
Cite this Entry
“Excavate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excavate. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
excavate
verb
ex·ca·vate
ˈek-skə-ˌvāt
excavated; excavating
1
: to hollow out : form a hole in
excavate the side of a hill
2
: to make by hollowing out
excavate a tunnel
3
: to dig out and remove
excavate sand
4
: to uncover by digging away covering earth
excavate an ancient city
excavator
noun
-ˌvāt-ər
Medical Definition
excavate
verb
ex·ca·vate
ˈek-skə-ˌvāt
excavated; excavating
: to form a cavity or hole in
an excavated wisdom tooth
: to make excavations or become hollowed out
an area of infarction in soft tissue often tends to excavate
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share