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
Becoming the world's main cultural power in Civilization 7 involves studying everyone's roots, excavating ancient artifacts, and displaying them in public.
—
Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
Hu Sanshou; 2024; China; 113 min A filmmaker returns to his hometown, where villagers honor the deceased by excavating and transporting the bodies to their new resting grounds.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 5 Feb. 2025
Ever since, teams have been carefully excavating and studying the area, which is now a museum and archaeological reserve.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Feb. 2025
After supporting Panamanian independence from Colombia, the U.S. took over construction from the French in 1904, excavated over 240 million cubic yards of earth and opened the canal in 1914.
—Kyle Khan-Mullins, Forbes, 30 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for excavate 
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Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
Hu Sanshou; 2024; China; 113 min A filmmaker returns to his hometown, where villagers honor the deceased by excavating and transporting the bodies to their new resting grounds.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 5 Feb. 2025
Ever since, teams have been carefully excavating and studying the area, which is now a museum and archaeological reserve.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Feb. 2025
After supporting Panamanian independence from Colombia, the U.S. took over construction from the French in 1904, excavated over 240 million cubic yards of earth and opened the canal in 1914.
—Kyle Khan-Mullins, Forbes, 30 Jan. 2025
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 13 Feb. 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
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