excavation

noun

ex·​ca·​va·​tion ˌek-skə-ˈvā-shən 

1

: the action or process of excavating

2

: a cavity formed by cutting, digging, or scooping

excavational

ˌek-skə-ˈvā-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

Examples of excavation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The excavation was carried out alongside the construction of Highway 66 in the Jezreel Valley. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 13 Nov. 2025

Engineers must fill gaps with grout or sand during the excavation process. —Stuart Dyos, Nashville Tennessean, 11 Nov. 2025

During the 2025 excavation campaign, researchers in Iraq unearthed a monumental building that might transform current understandings of Uruk’s relationship with surrounding regions, a location known as the world’s first metropolis. —Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2025

And his email to Knight led to a painful excavation of the past, charted in The Stringer, that could change the historical record. —Maria Fontoura, Rolling Stone, 7 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin excavātiōn-, excavātiō, from excavāre "to hollow out, excavate" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action

First Known Use

circa 1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for excavation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

excavation

noun

ex·​ca·​va·​tion ˌek-skə-ˈvā-shən 

1

: the act or process of excavating

2

: a hollowed-out place formed by excavating

Medical Definition

excavation

noun

ex·​ca·​va·​tion ˌek-skə-ˈvā-shən 

1

: the action or process of excavating

2

: a cavity formed by or as if by cutting, digging, or scooping