as in to dig
to hollow out or form (something) by removing earth
workmen are excavating a long tunnel that will eventually replace the aboveground expressway
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of excavate
During his 10 years with Chapman, Horner developed the school’s dinosaur lab and led research trips to a ranch in Montana to help excavate and study fossils.
—
Victoria Le, Oc Register, 3 Mar. 2026
In this novel of remembrance and personal discovery, a Korean woman adopted and raised by French parents returns to Seoul with a documentarian in order to excavate her buried past.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
The installation reproduces local KGB archives on Stalin and facsimiles of historical artifacts of the 1960s placed around an AR reconstruction of Buddha in Nirvana, a forty-three-foot-long, 1,600-year-old clay statue of a reclining Buddha excavated in Tajikistan in the late ’60s.
—Anel Rakhimzhanova, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
An inspector recommended excavating on her side to allow waterproofing the wall and installing a drainpipe.
—Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for excavate
Victoria Le, Oc Register, 3 Mar. 2026
In this novel of remembrance and personal discovery, a Korean woman adopted and raised by French parents returns to Seoul with a documentarian in order to excavate her buried past.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
The installation reproduces local KGB archives on Stalin and facsimiles of historical artifacts of the 1960s placed around an AR reconstruction of Buddha in Nirvana, a forty-three-foot-long, 1,600-year-old clay statue of a reclining Buddha excavated in Tajikistan in the late ’60s.
—Anel Rakhimzhanova, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
An inspector recommended excavating on her side to allow waterproofing the wall and installing a drainpipe.
—Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for excavate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excavate
Verb
-
His teammates dug him, and vice versa.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Start with a narrow trowel, not a shovel Your instinct might be to grab the biggest digging tool on the rack.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The answer is not getting volunteers to shovel out the homes of the elderly.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
7 Mar. 2026
-
How ironic that the piece appears as millions of Americans are freezing, without power, and New York City’s mayor is paying citizens to shovel snow.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excavate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excavate. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
