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
When Maeshowe was excavated, starting in 1861, no human remains were found, probably because Vikings and other intruders had emptied the site.
—
Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
The filmmaker made Dead Man in large part to excavate his deeply religious youth, a core part of his identity that gradually faded in adulthood.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 21 Nov. 2025
In 1988, The Steamboat Arabia was excavated by a team led by Bob Hawley and his sons, David and Greg Hawley, along with friend Jerry Mackey and restaurateur David Luttrell.
—Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 13 Nov. 2025
Back in 1915, Phys reported, a team excavated Margaret Island in Budapest and discovered the remains of a young man in a Dominican monastery.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excavate
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Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
The filmmaker made Dead Man in large part to excavate his deeply religious youth, a core part of his identity that gradually faded in adulthood.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 21 Nov. 2025
In 1988, The Steamboat Arabia was excavated by a team led by Bob Hawley and his sons, David and Greg Hawley, along with friend Jerry Mackey and restaurateur David Luttrell.
—Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 13 Nov. 2025
Back in 1915, Phys reported, a team excavated Margaret Island in Budapest and discovered the remains of a young man in a Dominican monastery.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 10 Nov. 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 29 Nov. 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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