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
To sit in the grasses, to talk to the neighbors, to excavate, the woman tells the six.
—
Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026
Further clearing continued throughout the 19th century, and the statue was fully excavated — exposing its paws and surrounding temple — by Émile Baraize between 1925 and 1936.
—Ryan Brennan
april 1, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2026
Hawass noted the area has been extensively studied and excavated for decades without finding anything resembling a second monument.
—Ryan Brennan
april 1, Sacbee.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Hawass noted the area has been extensively studied and excavated for decades without anyone finding anything resembling a second monument.
—Ryan Brennan
april 1, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2026
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.
Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026
Further clearing continued throughout the 19th century, and the statue was fully excavated — exposing its paws and surrounding temple — by Émile Baraize between 1925 and 1936.
—Ryan Brennan
april 1, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2026
Hawass noted the area has been extensively studied and excavated for decades without finding anything resembling a second monument.
—Ryan Brennan
april 1, Sacbee.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Hawass noted the area has been extensively studied and excavated for decades without anyone finding anything resembling a second monument.
—Ryan Brennan
april 1, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 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 6 Apr. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
