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
Although the hoard was excavated by Durham University archaeologists the year after, the contents were unknown until this week.
—
Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 26 Mar. 2025
For decades, the site was only partially excavated, for fear that further digging would disturb a nearby church built by famed architect Christopher Wren.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Mar. 2025
Then, in 2022, a team of archaeologists from Durham University excavated the site near the village of Melsonby in North Yorkshire, advised by the British Museum and with a grant from Historic England.
—Lianne Kolirin, CNN, 25 Mar. 2025
Scattered around the Norse site are excavated fire pits and tent rings, along with debris from tool-making left behind by at least five different Indigenous groups dating back as far as 5,000 years ago.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excavate
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Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 26 Mar. 2025
For decades, the site was only partially excavated, for fear that further digging would disturb a nearby church built by famed architect Christopher Wren.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Mar. 2025
Then, in 2022, a team of archaeologists from Durham University excavated the site near the village of Melsonby in North Yorkshire, advised by the British Museum and with a grant from Historic England.
—Lianne Kolirin, CNN, 25 Mar. 2025
Scattered around the Norse site are excavated fire pits and tent rings, along with debris from tool-making left behind by at least five different Indigenous groups dating back as far as 5,000 years ago.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 25 Mar. 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 2 Apr. 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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