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
From a Forgotten Grave to a Landmark Discovery The artifact was originally excavated about 100 years ago from a cemetery at Badari in Upper Egypt, found in Grave 3932 — the burial of an adult man.
—
Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2026
The artifact was originally excavated about 100 years ago from a cemetery at Badari in Upper Egypt.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2026
Plans for a controversial development project that will excavate gravel and build houses in part of the Hoppers Birge Pond Nature Preserve in Bristol are moving forward despite a last-minute change from the developer as advocates say time is running out to save the 270-acre preserve.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 12 Feb. 2026
This method uses directional drilling technology to place waste hundreds of meters underground within stable geological formations rather than excavating large tunnels in a mine.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for excavate
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Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2026
The artifact was originally excavated about 100 years ago from a cemetery at Badari in Upper Egypt.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2026
Plans for a controversial development project that will excavate gravel and build houses in part of the Hoppers Birge Pond Nature Preserve in Bristol are moving forward despite a last-minute change from the developer as advocates say time is running out to save the 270-acre preserve.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 12 Feb. 2026
This method uses directional drilling technology to place waste hundreds of meters underground within stable geological formations rather than excavating large tunnels in a mine.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for excavate
Cite this Entry
“Excavate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excavate. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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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