as in dug
to hollow out or form (something) by removing earth
workmen are excavating a long tunnel that will eventually replace the aboveground expressway
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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 excavated
Along University Avenue, land has been excavated for a new boutique hotel, which is in the process of gaining its structural footings.
—
Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2026
The key evidence was teeth belonging to the animals, excavated during an archaeological dig in western New Guinea.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 9 Mar. 2026
The plan even included transporting heavy equipment, such as bulldozers, in case buried nuclear material had to be excavated.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 9 Mar. 2026
Idaho State Police, with assistance from local authorities, as well as search and rescue groups, excavated the backyard over several days — starting in a small spot near the fence line, and eventually removing and sifting dirt from the entire area.
—Alex Brizee
march 5, Idaho Statesman, 6 Mar. 2026
Scientists think these volcanic rocks may have been excavated by impact events and later redistributed by wind and gravity, a process seen in many craters across Arabia Terra.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 6 Mar. 2026
The installation reproduces local KGB archives on Stalin and facsimiles of historical artifacts of the 1960s placed around an AR reconstruction of Buddha in Nirvana, a forty-three-foot-long, 1,600-year-old clay statue of a reclining Buddha excavated in Tajikistan in the late ’60s.
—Anel Rakhimzhanova, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
The reception area showcases a 21-foot installation created with soil excavated during construction—the building's foundation reborn as art.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Feb. 2026
From a Forgotten Grave to a Landmark Discovery The artifact was originally excavated about 100 years ago from a cemetery at Badari in Upper Egypt, found in Grave 3932 — the burial of an adult man.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2026
Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2026
The key evidence was teeth belonging to the animals, excavated during an archaeological dig in western New Guinea.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 9 Mar. 2026
The plan even included transporting heavy equipment, such as bulldozers, in case buried nuclear material had to be excavated.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 9 Mar. 2026
Idaho State Police, with assistance from local authorities, as well as search and rescue groups, excavated the backyard over several days — starting in a small spot near the fence line, and eventually removing and sifting dirt from the entire area.
—Alex Brizee
march 5, Idaho Statesman, 6 Mar. 2026
Scientists think these volcanic rocks may have been excavated by impact events and later redistributed by wind and gravity, a process seen in many craters across Arabia Terra.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 6 Mar. 2026
The installation reproduces local KGB archives on Stalin and facsimiles of historical artifacts of the 1960s placed around an AR reconstruction of Buddha in Nirvana, a forty-three-foot-long, 1,600-year-old clay statue of a reclining Buddha excavated in Tajikistan in the late ’60s.
—Anel Rakhimzhanova, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
The reception area showcases a 21-foot installation created with soil excavated during construction—the building's foundation reborn as art.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Feb. 2026
From a Forgotten Grave to a Landmark Discovery The artifact was originally excavated about 100 years ago from a cemetery at Badari in Upper Egypt, found in Grave 3932 — the burial of an adult man.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excavated
dug
Verb
-
The junior right fielder dug down deep and stuck with his convictions Tuesday after struggling to create type of contact during his first two plate appearances.—
Patrick Z. McGavin,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Boggs and the women on her side dug their heels in deeper.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excavated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excavated. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
