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
Jingia dongxingensis was excavated from the Dongxing Formation and was named a new genus and species in 2024.
—
Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2025
Its two towers, or oasts, plus firepits and facade are made from Catawba stone excavated during the brewery’s build-out, while local black walnut wood forms the bar top and wall coverings.
—Kate Bernot, Outside, 29 Aug. 2025
Other mining jobs include continuous mining machine operators, excavating/loading machine and dragline operators, and construction equipment operators.
—Noël Fletcher, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Like every other year, remains have been excavated.
—Seema Jilani
august 29, Literary Hub, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excavate
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Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2025
Its two towers, or oasts, plus firepits and facade are made from Catawba stone excavated during the brewery’s build-out, while local black walnut wood forms the bar top and wall coverings.
—Kate Bernot, Outside, 29 Aug. 2025
Other mining jobs include continuous mining machine operators, excavating/loading machine and dragline operators, and construction equipment operators.
—Noël Fletcher, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Like every other year, remains have been excavated.
—Seema Jilani
august 29, Literary Hub, 29 Aug. 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 10 Sep. 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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