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 authors found traces of these ancient roads by comparing historical evidence — such as items found during excavation or in historical travel records — with satellite imagery and topographic maps that show a time before dense urbanization. —Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025

Meanwhile, OffWorld is developing autonomous swarms of industrial robots for off-planet excavation, with applications extending from lunar to asteroid environments. —Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 5 Nov. 2025

Explosives are used in construction blasting to fracture rock around boreholes during tunnel excavation. —Stuart Dyos, Nashville Tennessean, 4 Nov. 2025

Editor Agnès Bruckert’s patient cutting allows the film’s fairly audacious tonal shifts (from tentative rom-com to psychological excavation) to unfold with poise, reinforcing the sense that catastrophe and self-redefinition can coexist within the same breath. —Catherine Bray, Variety, 31 Oct. 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