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
Pettigrew said the team will use drones, sonar and magnetometers to examine the site before probing the sediment and eventually excavating it using a hydraulic dredge.
—
Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
These connections raise the possibility that people were following camels across the desert on winter migrations, says archaeologist and study co-author Ceri Shipton, who was excavating the site, known as Jebel Misma, when his team spotted a spectacular caravan of camel carvings on May 14, 2023.
—Martin J. Kernan, Scientific American, 30 Sep. 2025
His aristocratic tastes are reflected in his various building projects, the remains of which have been excavated.
—Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025
After being granted a license to excavate at the temple in 2004, Martínez and her team uncovered a piece of blue glass in 2005.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excavate
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Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
These connections raise the possibility that people were following camels across the desert on winter migrations, says archaeologist and study co-author Ceri Shipton, who was excavating the site, known as Jebel Misma, when his team spotted a spectacular caravan of camel carvings on May 14, 2023.
—Martin J. Kernan, Scientific American, 30 Sep. 2025
His aristocratic tastes are reflected in his various building projects, the remains of which have been excavated.
—Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025
After being granted a license to excavate at the temple in 2004, Martínez and her team uncovered a piece of blue glass in 2005.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 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 10 Oct. 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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