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
Established in 2022 in San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood, ICA SF launched with an exhibition of Jeffrey Gibson comprising a large-scale video installation and holes excavated in the gallery floor.
—
News Desk, Artforum, 29 Oct. 2025
The original crown, which is more than 1,000 years old, was excavated from Cheonmachong tomb in the 1970s and is considered a national treasure.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
Despite talk of using nukes to carve a second Panama Canal or excavate Alaskan ports, public concern over radiation and international treaties ultimately shut the program down.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 28 Oct. 2025
Only then will the researchers begin to excavate using a hydraulic dredge.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excavate
News Desk, Artforum, 29 Oct. 2025
The original crown, which is more than 1,000 years old, was excavated from Cheonmachong tomb in the 1970s and is considered a national treasure.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
Despite talk of using nukes to carve a second Panama Canal or excavate Alaskan ports, public concern over radiation and international treaties ultimately shut the program down.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 28 Oct. 2025
Only then will the researchers begin to excavate using a hydraulic dredge.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 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.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Nov. 2025
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The Yankees will need to dig deep into their pockets to bring Bellinger back.—
Zach Pressnell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
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But the mandates also help colleges shovel heaps of bureaucratic muck—validating data for accreditation, carrying out enrollment, flagging troubled students, aggregating metrics of all kinds.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
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This will improve your ability to perform daily tasks like reaching the back seat of your car to grab an object, shoveling snow, or raking leaves.—
Jenny McCoy,
Outside,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Excavate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excavate. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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