excavator

noun

ex·​ca·​va·​tor ˈek-skə-ˌvā-tər 

: one that excavates

especially : a power-operated shovel

Examples of excavator in a Sentence

The excavators found ancient tools at the site.

Recent Examples on the Web

An excavator removes debris from a residential building that was destroyed in today's attack by Israel in Tehran, on June 13, 2025 in Tehran, Iran. —Peter Aitken tom O'Connor Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 June 2025

Next to disturbed earth are three Israeli military bulldozers and an excavator. —Farnaz Fassihi, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025

And finally, there were a bunch who don’t go to any of the smaller, more specialized conferences, like Ed, who operates excavators and has followed bitcoin for years, now planning on starting a small mining operation. —Korok Ray, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025

Crews in Washington, D.C., use concrete saws, jackhammers and excavators to dismantle the Black Lives Matter Plaza street mural, created two blocks north of the White House as a symbol during the 2020 protests against the murder of George Floyd, March 11, 2025. —/ Cbs News, CBS News, 8 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

excavate + -or entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1815, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for excavator

• activator
• actuator
• agitator
• alligator
• allocator
• alternator
• animator
• annotator
• applicator
• arbitrator
• aspirator
• aviator

Medical Definition

excavator

noun

ex·​ca·​va·​tor ˈek-skə-ˌvāt-ər 

: an instrument used to open bodily cavities (as in the teeth) or remove material from them