excavate

verb

ex·​ca·​vate ˈek-skə-ˌvāt 

excavated; excavating

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

: to make excavations

Synonyms

• dig
• shovel

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 October, a team from New York State Museum and SUNY Orange came to excavate the site and confirmed the pair’s hunch. —Leslie Katz, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024

In October the two scientists organized a small team to excavate a trench 14 inches deep. —Christopher Maag, New York Times, 19 Dec. 2024

When first unearthed by construction workers excavating to lay down railroad tracks through the Land of Israel to Egypt in 1913, its historical significance was overlooked, Sotheby’s said. —Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 9 Dec. 2024

Lakeshore State Park sits on an artificial island, made from bedrock and debris excavated when Milwaukee’s Deep Tunnel was built in the 1980s and 1990s. —Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 9 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin excavātus, past participle of excavāre "to hollow out, form a hole in," from ex- ex- entry 1 + cavāre "to make hollow, hollow out," verbal derivative of cavus "hollow, concave" — more at hole entry 1

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids 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

-ˌvāt-ər

noun

Medical Definition

excavate

verb

ex·​ca·​vate ˈek-skə-ˌvāt 

excavated; excavating

transitive verb

: to form a cavity or hole in

an excavated wisdom tooth

intransitive verb

: to make excavations or become hollowed out

an area of infarction in soft tissue often tends to excavate