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
Indeed, materials excavated from their land have been used to build Naples’ Piazza del Plebiscito and revive the city’s bustling streets into the industrial boom.
—
Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 9 Apr. 2025
For the study, the researchers drilled two-gram samples out of the inner walls of two vessel fragments excavated by Schliemann.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2025
The thrill of the rush is what got kids on the run as their parents tried to direct them to areas not yet excavated.
—Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 18 Apr. 2025
Underground is a contemporary interpretation of the Roman baths excavated in nearby Cimiez, with a warm tepidarium, a hot caldarium, and a frigidarium, or cold plunge.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excavate
Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 9 Apr. 2025
For the study, the researchers drilled two-gram samples out of the inner walls of two vessel fragments excavated by Schliemann.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2025
The thrill of the rush is what got kids on the run as their parents tried to direct them to areas not yet excavated.
—Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 18 Apr. 2025
Underground is a contemporary interpretation of the Roman baths excavated in nearby Cimiez, with a warm tepidarium, a hot caldarium, and a frigidarium, or cold plunge.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excavate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excavate
Verb
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Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans.—
Matt Byrne,
Arkansas Online,
3 May 2025
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Truths will be uncovered and transformation will take place, so buckle up for a wild, eye-opening ride Comments Secrets don't stay buried forever, and Pluto retrograde is here to dig them up!—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
3 May 2025
Verb
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Under the Biden administration, the country shoveled unprecedented sums of federal dollars into clean-energy projects—battery factories, solar farms, nuclear plants—while also producing and exporting record volumes of oil and gas.—
Alexander C. Kaufman,
The Atlantic,
4 Apr. 2025
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Ahmed Mohammed shovels snow Wednesday in front of a grocery store in Omaha, Neb.Chris Machian / Omaha World-Herald via AP Meanwhile, possible tornadoes ripped roofs off buildings in Gary, Indiana, on Wednesday.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC News,
20 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Excavate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excavate. Accessed 13 May. 2025.
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