excavate

verb

ex·​ca·​vate ˈek-skə-ˌvāt How to pronounce excavate (audio)
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

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 Now, as part of renovations, archaeologists in Kecskemét have excavated an approximately 160-square-foot trench — and unearthed the baby’s grave, along with a trove of other burials. Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 Ancient Human Culture in the Amazon Basin Archaeologists excavated and analyzed material at two rock shelters four kilometers apart in the Serranía La Lindosa region of Colombia, known for its captivating rock art images. Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024 From 1963-77, the eight-acre site was excavated extensively by Yosef Elgavish, an Israeli archaeologist. Franz Lidz, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Dirt was excavated from lagoons to build the course and its features, fixing the flatness issue and leaving behind six large lakes – the same number of NBA Championships Jordan won. Jack Bantock, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024 Another Woodstock attendee, Akinyele Sadiq, also came to see the curators in San Francisco to excavate his memories of watching the festival from 25 feet (7.6 meters) away from the stage. Michael Liedtke, Quartz, 2 Mar. 2024 Since 2011, experts have been working to excavate the city. Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024 Subsequently, authorities worked with the new owner of a trailer on the property to excavate the remains, the sheriff’s office said. Samira Asma-Sadeque, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024 When a condo development threatened the remains of a 13th-century coastal fishing site on Santa Catarina Island in southern Brazil in 1996, archaeologists rushed to excavate. Sarah Sloat, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'excavate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of excavate was in 1599

Dictionary Entries Near excavate

Cite this Entry

“Excavate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excavate. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

excavate

verb
ex·​ca·​vate ˈek-skə-ˌvāt How to pronounce excavate (audio)
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 How to pronounce excavate (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on excavate

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