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
The site extends about 500 feet and includes approximately 200 footprints, according to BBC, though the outlet said the tracks could extend even further into areas that have not yet been excavated.
—
Erin Clack, People.com, 15 Feb. 2025
Thankfully, the archaeologists use care to both excavate and preserve such sites for future investigations as well.
—Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2025
It's been owned by the company Iron Mountain since the late 1990s, and it was formerly owned by U.S. Steel, which excavated it for limestone for mills in the Pittsburgh area.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2025
As many of the scrolls were excavated over the years, efforts to mechanically unroll them failed, often causing further damage.
—Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 6 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for excavate 
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Erin Clack, People.com, 15 Feb. 2025
Thankfully, the archaeologists use care to both excavate and preserve such sites for future investigations as well.
—Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2025
It's been owned by the company Iron Mountain since the late 1990s, and it was formerly owned by U.S. Steel, which excavated it for limestone for mills in the Pittsburgh area.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2025
As many of the scrolls were excavated over the years, efforts to mechanically unroll them failed, often causing further damage.
—Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 6 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for excavate
Dictionary Entries Near excavate
Cite this Entry
“Excavate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excavate. Accessed 21 Feb. 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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