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
The villa is still being excavated and studied, but archaeologists have so far uncovered a grand entrance hall with an atrium and sunken basin, known as an impluvium, surrounded by a mosaic floor with black and white botanical and geometric designs.
—
Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 19 June 2026
Officials noted that it will be excavated through the narrowest part of the peninsula, connecting Moldefjord and Kjødepollen in the Vanylvsfjord region.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 19 June 2026
Oh Whale excavates Oregon’s infamous 1970 exploding-whale incident through the eyes of journalist Paul Linnman, who broke the story at age 23 and has been answering questions about it ever since.
—Peter White, Deadline, 19 June 2026
Archaeological historian weighs in Cheryl LaRoche, an archeological historian who worked to excavate the foundation of the President's House 20 years ago to study the truth about who lived there, criticized the new panels.
—Joe Brandt, CBS News, 18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for excavate
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Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 19 June 2026
Officials noted that it will be excavated through the narrowest part of the peninsula, connecting Moldefjord and Kjødepollen in the Vanylvsfjord region.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 19 June 2026
Oh Whale excavates Oregon’s infamous 1970 exploding-whale incident through the eyes of journalist Paul Linnman, who broke the story at age 23 and has been answering questions about it ever since.
—Peter White, Deadline, 19 June 2026
Archaeological historian weighs in Cheryl LaRoche, an archeological historian who worked to excavate the foundation of the President's House 20 years ago to study the truth about who lived there, criticized the new panels.
—Joe Brandt, CBS News, 18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for excavate
Cite this Entry
“Excavate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excavate. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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
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