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 therapist should adroitly excavate what the AI has told the client.
—
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
The wall was excavated more than 230 years ago, but some 300 inscriptions etched into it remained hidden until new technologies allowed researchers to identify them.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026
Researchers excavated seven mummies along with the bones of 54 other cheetahs from a site near the city of Arar.
—Adithi Ramakrishnan, Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2026
One of the most affecting displays is a wall lined with hundreds of jars of soil excavated from sites of lynchings across the country.
—Clint Smith, The Atlantic, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for excavate
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Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
The wall was excavated more than 230 years ago, but some 300 inscriptions etched into it remained hidden until new technologies allowed researchers to identify them.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026
Researchers excavated seven mummies along with the bones of 54 other cheetahs from a site near the city of Arar.
—Adithi Ramakrishnan, Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2026
One of the most affecting displays is a wall lined with hundreds of jars of soil excavated from sites of lynchings across the country.
—Clint Smith, The Atlantic, 19 Jan. 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 28 Jan. 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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