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
Researchers enlisted by the school have only excavated a small section of the tunnel system so far.
—
Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 15 June 2026
Identifying an early giant scorpion Working with eight fossils excavated over the years from three sites, the study team used CT scans and other tools to take a closer look at the specimen in the Natural History Museum’s collection.
—Shraddha Chakradhar, CNN Money, 10 June 2026
After months of scandal and speculation, and several weeks of extended reunion unpacking, the sordid mess of Summer House season ten has been excavated.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 10 June 2026
Navarro’s team has spent years examining a pair of individuals excavated a few miles inland from the Norwegian Sea near Loch Borralie.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 10 June 2026
The genius of the document lies not in the original, local intentions that might be excavated from it, but in the meanings that later generations have projected onto it.
—New York Times, 9 June 2026
There’s no actual metal on Pareidolia, just fragments that Muir has excavated from metal’s marginalia and spun into what resembles a kaleidoscope filled with black beads.
—Brad Sanders, Pitchfork, 8 June 2026
For three weeks, the Sallam Lab team excavated fossils under the intense desert sun.
—Sanaa El-Sayed, The Conversation, 4 June 2026
Prehistoric mining in the Pyrenees High in the eastern Pyrenees is a prehistoric cave, excavated between 2021 and 2023.
—ArsTechnica, 1 June 2026
Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 15 June 2026
Identifying an early giant scorpion Working with eight fossils excavated over the years from three sites, the study team used CT scans and other tools to take a closer look at the specimen in the Natural History Museum’s collection.
—Shraddha Chakradhar, CNN Money, 10 June 2026
After months of scandal and speculation, and several weeks of extended reunion unpacking, the sordid mess of Summer House season ten has been excavated.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 10 June 2026
Navarro’s team has spent years examining a pair of individuals excavated a few miles inland from the Norwegian Sea near Loch Borralie.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 10 June 2026
The genius of the document lies not in the original, local intentions that might be excavated from it, but in the meanings that later generations have projected onto it.
—New York Times, 9 June 2026
There’s no actual metal on Pareidolia, just fragments that Muir has excavated from metal’s marginalia and spun into what resembles a kaleidoscope filled with black beads.
—Brad Sanders, Pitchfork, 8 June 2026
For three weeks, the Sallam Lab team excavated fossils under the intense desert sun.
—Sanaa El-Sayed, The Conversation, 4 June 2026
Prehistoric mining in the Pyrenees High in the eastern Pyrenees is a prehistoric cave, excavated between 2021 and 2023.
—ArsTechnica, 1 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excavated
dug
Verb
-
Some villagers sat in the shade of towering fig trees, while others planted yams or dug the soil with tree branches.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
Although not as wealthy as Jackson, Jones has also dug deep into his own pockets to keep his campaign afloat, lending it more than $16 million from his family’s fortune.—
Shannon McCaffrey,
AJC.com,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excavated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excavated. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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