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
Researchers began excavating the Xiongan site in 2017, working their way from the outer city to the inner city and discovering the Tang Dynasty temple where the dragon was found in 2023 as well as other ceramics and Buddhist relics.
—
Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 10 Mar. 2025
Streaming Snafu Update: Hulu Apologizes for Technical Issues The dig’s project manager is a portly white guy who is well intentioned, if awkward, in trying to befriend the construction workers excavating the site.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 4 Mar. 2025
Each requires at least three bites to enjoy — and to ensure the tail meat is excavated.
—Tanya Sichynsky, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2025
In the basement of that commercial building on Gracechurch Street, surrounded by high-rise towers filled with financial and insurance firms, archaeologists began excavating large, exploratory pits two years ago until stone walls several feet thick and dozens of feet long were exposed.
—Willem Marx, NPR, 18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excavate
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Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 10 Mar. 2025
Streaming Snafu Update: Hulu Apologizes for Technical Issues The dig’s project manager is a portly white guy who is well intentioned, if awkward, in trying to befriend the construction workers excavating the site.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 4 Mar. 2025
Each requires at least three bites to enjoy — and to ensure the tail meat is excavated.
—Tanya Sichynsky, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2025
In the basement of that commercial building on Gracechurch Street, surrounded by high-rise towers filled with financial and insurance firms, archaeologists began excavating large, exploratory pits two years ago until stone walls several feet thick and dozens of feet long were exposed.
—Willem Marx, NPR, 18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excavate
Cite this Entry
“Excavate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excavate. Accessed 24 Mar. 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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