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
In the 1930s, workers using explosives and machinery excavated a 13-mile tunnel beneath Mt. San Jacinto to bring Colorado River water to Southern California.
—
Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2025
The rail crossing at Southwest Highway and Kilbourn Avenue in Oak Lawn will close for 10 days next month to excavate and replace the rail at a crossing used often by emergency vehicles.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 22 Apr. 2025
To satisfy federal and state requirements to offset the filling of the coal pier channel, the joint venture plans to excavate 19 acres of land along the Jones Creek side of Sparrows Point, converting it to open water and wetlands.
—Timothy B. Wheeler, Baltimore Sun, 22 Apr. 2025
Archaeologists were astonished to uncover hundreds of skeletons while excavating the grounds of a university, which once hosted a medieval church demolished in the 1650s.
—Fox News Staff, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excavate
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Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2025
The rail crossing at Southwest Highway and Kilbourn Avenue in Oak Lawn will close for 10 days next month to excavate and replace the rail at a crossing used often by emergency vehicles.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 22 Apr. 2025
To satisfy federal and state requirements to offset the filling of the coal pier channel, the joint venture plans to excavate 19 acres of land along the Jones Creek side of Sparrows Point, converting it to open water and wetlands.
—Timothy B. Wheeler, Baltimore Sun, 22 Apr. 2025
Archaeologists were astonished to uncover hundreds of skeletons while excavating the grounds of a university, which once hosted a medieval church demolished in the 1650s.
—Fox News Staff, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 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 5 May. 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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