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
adjective
ˌek-skə-ˈvā-sh(ə-)nəl
-shə-nᵊl
Examples of excavation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Since Hart Hall was created in the 1280s, the excavation yielded medieval finds.
—
Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Reuters images showed an excavation a dozen or so metres below the surface, with Hamas men at the bottom of the trench next to a tunnel opening in an apparent search for bodies inside.
—Maayan Lubell, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
The ancestors were taken from the Riverside Cemetery site near the Menominee River in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula between 1961 and 1963 during a joint excavation led by anthropologists Robert Retzenthaler for the Milwaukee Public Museum and Robert Hrushka for the Oshkosh Public Museum.
—Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
California’s Sand Compatibility and Opportunistic Use Program (SCOUP) is a streamlined process for permitting agencies to use up to 150,000 cubic yards obtained from construction and excavation projects.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excavation
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Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Reuters images showed an excavation a dozen or so metres below the surface, with Hamas men at the bottom of the trench next to a tunnel opening in an apparent search for bodies inside.
—Maayan Lubell, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
The ancestors were taken from the Riverside Cemetery site near the Menominee River in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula between 1961 and 1963 during a joint excavation led by anthropologists Robert Retzenthaler for the Milwaukee Public Museum and Robert Hrushka for the Oshkosh Public Museum.
—Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
California’s Sand Compatibility and Opportunistic Use Program (SCOUP) is a streamlined process for permitting agencies to use up to 150,000 cubic yards obtained from construction and excavation projects.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excavation
Cite this Entry
“Excavation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excavation. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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