EXCAVATE Synonyms: 14 Similar and Opposite Words

excavate

verb

ˈek-skə-ˌvāt

Definition of excavate

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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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 It was excavated over the course of five years, according to the auction house. — Megan Fahrney, ABC News, 14 July 2026 Hurst hopes more context can be gleaned by further studies of the many other plaster scraps—which bear different handwriting from at least one other scribe—and by excavating more of the lost city. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 13 July 2026 The investment of time and money put into excavating and polishing a skeleton such as Gus would not be possible, according to Hatton, without the prospect of a high-value sale. — Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 13 July 2026 One of the most convincing ways Reid excavates Lestat’s inner world is through the music. — Hannah Giorgis Yohannes, Vanity Fair, 13 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for excavate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for excavate

Verb

For the second year in a row, this quiet Hill Country town is digging itself out of a catastrophe that has mercilessly taken a community trying to heal and set them back on the path of mourning.

— Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
Saturday was yet another game in which the Padres’ starting pitcher dug a hole and the offense did nothing to lend him a hand to help him out.

— Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 July 2026

Definition of dig

Verb

Together, these two men stood under the awning of Li Shan’s commissary and watched Noe’s boys shovel their catch from the hold of the lugger into baskets on the wharf.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 July 2026
As Picklesburgh and other summer events tighten parking, residents are reminded that chairs belong on private property — and that street spots remain first‑come, first‑served, no matter who shoveled or parked there last.

— Gabby Sartori, USA Today, 15 July 2026

Definition of shovel

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exasperations

excavate

excavated

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“Excavate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excavate. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of excavate

verb

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