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
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Recent Examples of excavate
Her team has excavated an area the size of tennis court so far, and she has been stunned by how tightly packed the bones are.
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Chloe Mayer, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 2025
Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Civil work has finished at six out of eight stations in Gujarat, while Mumbai's underground terminus at Bandra Kurla Complex is 75 percent excavated.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025
In May, a team excavated the Senja site and identified it as a roughly 1,000-year-old Viking boat grave, the museum said.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 4 June 2025
This information has to be excavated, for lack of a better word, with values testing.
—Suzy Welch, CNBC, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for excavate
Chloe Mayer, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 2025
Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Civil work has finished at six out of eight stations in Gujarat, while Mumbai's underground terminus at Bandra Kurla Complex is 75 percent excavated.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025
In May, a team excavated the Senja site and identified it as a roughly 1,000-year-old Viking boat grave, the museum said.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 4 June 2025
This information has to be excavated, for lack of a better word, with values testing.
—Suzy Welch, CNBC, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for excavate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excavate
Verb
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Accordingly, this summer’s SHPO dig uncovered both metal assay materials and household artifacts.—
Alex Music,
Idaho Statesman,
21 June 2025
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Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans.—
Eric E. Harrison,
Arkansas Online,
21 June 2025
Verb
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Adding insult to injury, the state instead continues to shovel millions of dollars toward health care programs for undocumented immigrants — including at least $12 billion in the Legislature’s budget — while underfunding services Californians are paying for and counting on.—
Diane Dixon,
Oc Register,
18 June 2025
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The highway was shut down for nearly 14 hours as crews shoveled, hand-picked, and vacuumed the loose coins from the road and nearby brush.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Excavate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excavate. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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