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
As Polly excavates the darkest parts of herself, the film can’t string together a build to match the depths of her soul-searching.
—
J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 11 Oct. 2025
Not only did the impact excavate material onto the surface for later study, but its very rigidity can also allow researchers to determine how stiff ice in the region was at formation.
—Nola Taylor Tillman, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2025
While analyzing over 300 skeletal remains excavated in northwestern Rome, a team of paleontologists found that the bones belong to a gigantic ancestor of today’s elephant.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 8 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for excavate
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J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 11 Oct. 2025
Not only did the impact excavate material onto the surface for later study, but its very rigidity can also allow researchers to determine how stiff ice in the region was at formation.
—Nola Taylor Tillman, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2025
While analyzing over 300 skeletal remains excavated in northwestern Rome, a team of paleontologists found that the bones belong to a gigantic ancestor of today’s elephant.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 8 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for excavate
Cite this Entry
“Excavate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excavate. Accessed 17 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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