as in to dig
to hollow out or form (something) by removing earth
workmen are excavating a long tunnel that will eventually replace the aboveground expressway
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Recent Examples of excavate
But every early cathode-ray tube color television owed its screen’s red hue to europium, a rare earth element excavated and processed exclusively at the Mountain Pass Mine in San Bernardino County.
—
Charlie Campbell, Time, 17 June 2025
Overall, archaeologists are thrilled to get the opportunity to excavate and preserve the grave, since historic sites like this one are often destroyed by farmers’ plows.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 June 2025
In the Plowshare film, a crude animation illustrates a zipper of nuclear blasts from the Atlantic to the Pacific, to excavate a sea-level channel up to two hundred feet wide and one thousand feet deep, an oceanic superhighway across Costa Rica or Nicaragua.
—Literary Hub, 11 June 2025
Earlier this year, a group of veterans gathered in Kershaw County to excavate a Revolutionary War battlefield.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for excavate
Charlie Campbell, Time, 17 June 2025
Overall, archaeologists are thrilled to get the opportunity to excavate and preserve the grave, since historic sites like this one are often destroyed by farmers’ plows.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 June 2025
In the Plowshare film, a crude animation illustrates a zipper of nuclear blasts from the Atlantic to the Pacific, to excavate a sea-level channel up to two hundred feet wide and one thousand feet deep, an oceanic superhighway across Costa Rica or Nicaragua.
—Literary Hub, 11 June 2025
Earlier this year, a group of veterans gathered in Kershaw County to excavate a Revolutionary War battlefield.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for excavate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excavate
Verb
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Accordingly, this summer’s SHPO dig uncovered both metal assay materials and household artifacts.—
Alex Music,
Idaho Statesman,
21 June 2025
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Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans.—
Eric E. Harrison,
Arkansas Online,
21 June 2025
Verb
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Adding insult to injury, the state instead continues to shovel millions of dollars toward health care programs for undocumented immigrants — including at least $12 billion in the Legislature’s budget — while underfunding services Californians are paying for and counting on.—
Diane Dixon,
Oc Register,
18 June 2025
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The highway was shut down for nearly 14 hours as crews shoveled, hand-picked, and vacuumed the loose coins from the road and nearby brush.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Excavate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excavate. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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