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
Somehow, the once-proud Miami Dolphins -- still the singular franchise of The Perfect Season -- have become one of the dregs of the league, albeit (as this year) seldom one bad enough to gain a really high draft pick to help excavate from the mire.
—
Miami Herald, 28 Dec. 2025
But, for one reason or another, the site has never been excavated or even accessed by archaeologists since (and is unlikely to be for some time).
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 25 Dec. 2025
Man-su and Mi-ri are more happily married, but months of unemployment and multiple homicides take their toll, excavating old resentments and failures, including Man-su’s past struggles with alcoholism.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2025
The jackstraw presented a puzzle to be solved, raw material from which to excavate a way through.
—Literary Hub, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excavate
Miami Herald, 28 Dec. 2025
But, for one reason or another, the site has never been excavated or even accessed by archaeologists since (and is unlikely to be for some time).
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 25 Dec. 2025
Man-su and Mi-ri are more happily married, but months of unemployment and multiple homicides take their toll, excavating old resentments and failures, including Man-su’s past struggles with alcoholism.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2025
The jackstraw presented a puzzle to be solved, raw material from which to excavate a way through.
—Literary Hub, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excavate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excavate
Verb
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Matt Byrne Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Jan. 2026
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Were the Browns supposed to dig themselves out of a multiyear hole in one season?—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
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 11 Jan. 2026.
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