excavate

verb

ex·​ca·​vate ˈek-skə-ˌvāt 

excavated; excavating

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

: to make excavations

Synonyms of excavate

• dig
• shovel

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

On Thursday, workers excavated a 3-foot-by-4-foot area to find the source of the water, plugged the leak and resumed preparing the street to reopen. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026

That includes a stunning gold and jeweled necklace discovered on the remains of an adult woman presumed to be Julia Felix, excavated next to the Shrine of Isis at the prosperous businesswoman's sprawling estate. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 22 July 2026

The story zigs and zags, then doubles back on itself to excavate previously unknown details. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 22 July 2026

Start With Helsinki’s Rock Church Temppeliaukio, better known as the Rock Church, was excavated directly into Helsinki’s granite bedrock. — David Nikel, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin excavātus, past participle of excavāre "to hollow out, form a hole in," from ex- ex- entry 1 + cavāre "to make hollow, hollow out," verbal derivative of cavus "hollow, concave" — more at hole entry 1

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for excavate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

Kids 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

-ˌvāt-ər

noun

Medical Definition

excavate

verb

ex·​ca·​vate ˈek-skə-ˌvāt 

excavated; excavating

transitive verb

: to form a cavity or hole in

an excavated wisdom tooth

intransitive verb

: to make excavations or become hollowed out

an area of infarction in soft tissue often tends to excavate