excavator

noun

ex·​ca·​va·​tor ˈek-skə-ˌvā-tər How to pronounce excavator (audio)
: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Anger escalated sharply last month when excavators and bulldozers moved onto the site. Emmet Lyons, CBS News, 6 June 2026 Demonstrators have also gathered on the southern coastline, where excavators recently began clearing the area and workers erected a barbed wire fence around the beach, preventing locals from accessing it. Brooke Migdon, PEOPLE, 4 June 2026 Since late May, excavators and other heavy machinery have entered the area, opening access routes, digging into the sand, clearing land among pine trees and installing fencing. ABC News, 3 June 2026 Economists call this an example of capital deepening, or when workers gain access to better tools and their individual productivity rises as a result—like when a construction worker trades in a shovel for a mechanical excavator. Tristan Bove, Fortune, 27 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for excavator

Word History

Etymology

excavate + -or entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1815, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of excavator was circa 1815

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Excavator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excavator. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.

Medical Definition

excavator

noun
ex·​ca·​va·​tor ˈek-skə-ˌvāt-ər How to pronounce excavator (audio)
: an instrument used to open bodily cavities (as in the teeth) or remove material from them
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