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
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Recent Examples of excavated
The team excavated several key places on the site, studied cores of soil and conducted an additional LiDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging, survey of the area.
—
Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
The Wondras were identified as suspects three years ago by Fruitland Police Chief JD Huff after law enforcement excavated their backyard, searching the area for human remains.
—Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 31 Oct. 2025
Archaeologists in Scotland have excavated over 100 weapon projectiles, including cannon shot and lead musket balls from one of the country’s most famous battlefields.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 30 Oct. 2025
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
Workers excavated parts of the route with explosives and built locks and aqueducts along 363 miles of canal.
—JSTOR Daily, 26 Oct. 2025
In 2002 researchers excavated a site with a mass grave of 2,000 to 3,000 people in Vilnius, Lithuania.
—Andrea Tamayo, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2025
The partial skeleton was excavated from Koobi Fora in Kenya.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025
Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
The Wondras were identified as suspects three years ago by Fruitland Police Chief JD Huff after law enforcement excavated their backyard, searching the area for human remains.
—Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 31 Oct. 2025
Archaeologists in Scotland have excavated over 100 weapon projectiles, including cannon shot and lead musket balls from one of the country’s most famous battlefields.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 30 Oct. 2025
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
Workers excavated parts of the route with explosives and built locks and aqueducts along 363 miles of canal.
—JSTOR Daily, 26 Oct. 2025
In 2002 researchers excavated a site with a mass grave of 2,000 to 3,000 people in Vilnius, Lithuania.
—Andrea Tamayo, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2025
The partial skeleton was excavated from Koobi Fora in Kenya.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excavated
dug
Verb
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Bring a headlamp to walk your bike through three 1870s railroad tunnels, each hand-dug by crews armed with little more than picks and shovels.—
Erin Gifford,
Outside,
30 Oct. 2025
-
New beds should be dug or loosened to a depth of 12 inches for varieties with larger bulbs.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Excavated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excavated. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
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