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

• 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

When excavating a massive pit, mining operations often hit groundwater, potentially exposing the area's water table (and local drinking water) to contamination. —Kate S. Petersen, USA TODAY, 1 Dec. 2024

While some evidence of its pylon was identified by investigations that took place in the early 1900s, the feature had not been excavated until the latest efforts conducted by the Tübingen team, supported by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2024

Margaret, the book’s protagonist, is navigating life after divorce, and raising two little girls while also excavating a dark chapter of her own girlhood. —Lizz Schumer, People.com, 24 Nov. 2024

Though the skeleton had been discovered at more than 20 feet deep in 1938, the well wasn’t properly excavated until 2014, when Petersén and a team of researchers partially exhumed the man’s remains. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Oct. 2024

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

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