excavation
noun
ex·ca·va·tion
ˌek-skə-ˈvā-shən 
1
: the action or process of excavating
2
: a cavity formed by cutting, digging, or scooping
Examples of excavation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Satellite images show piles of dirt from the excavation growing in size.
—
Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Archaeologists found dozens of them in the late 19th century at the Hawara excavation site in Egypt’s Fayum region, and some other examples were known earlier, according to Sotheby’s, but much of the research into them is recent and ongoing.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026
The excavation, first reported by Oregon Public Broadcasting, was a special collaboration with the Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology (SOULA) and the Oregon Historical Society.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Dooley had been calling himself a maritime archaeologist for more than a decade but had yet to conduct a by-the-book excavation of any kind.
—Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for excavation
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.
Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Archaeologists found dozens of them in the late 19th century at the Hawara excavation site in Egypt’s Fayum region, and some other examples were known earlier, according to Sotheby’s, but much of the research into them is recent and ongoing.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026
The excavation, first reported by Oregon Public Broadcasting, was a special collaboration with the Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology (SOULA) and the Oregon Historical Society.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Dooley had been calling himself a maritime archaeologist for more than a decade but had yet to conduct a by-the-book excavation of any kind.
—Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for excavation
Cite this Entry
“Excavation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excavation. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
excavation
noun
ex·ca·va·tion
ˌek-skə-ˈvā-shən
1
: the act or process of excavating
2
: a hollowed-out place formed by excavating
Medical Definition
excavation
noun
ex·ca·va·tion
ˌek-skə-ˈvā-shən
1
: the action or process of excavating
2
: a cavity formed by or as if by cutting, digging, or scooping
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
