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
Among them, a hominin femur that was excavated from the cave bears teeth marks.
—
Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 7 Jan. 2026
The team found multiple 60,000-year-old quartz arrowheads excavated from the Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal Province.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 7 Jan. 2026
Recovering lost cultural history Malawi was a British colony when Hora 1 was first excavated in 1950, a time when archaeology seemed more like treasure hunting than science, Thompson said.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 6 Jan. 2026
The site was eventually excavated, per the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, but nothing was found.
—Makena Gera, PEOPLE, 4 Jan. 2026
So why hasn’t the site been excavated in more detail?
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 25 Dec. 2025
The Wondras, along with the roommates, were named as people of interest in Michael’s death in December 2022 after the property was excavated.
—Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 15 Dec. 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
Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 7 Jan. 2026
The team found multiple 60,000-year-old quartz arrowheads excavated from the Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal Province.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 7 Jan. 2026
Recovering lost cultural history Malawi was a British colony when Hora 1 was first excavated in 1950, a time when archaeology seemed more like treasure hunting than science, Thompson said.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 6 Jan. 2026
The site was eventually excavated, per the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, but nothing was found.
—Makena Gera, PEOPLE, 4 Jan. 2026
So why hasn’t the site been excavated in more detail?
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 25 Dec. 2025
The Wondras, along with the roommates, were named as people of interest in Michael’s death in December 2022 after the property was excavated.
—Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 15 Dec. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excavated
dug
Verb
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By allowing 26 second-chance points and 19 points off turnovers, the Bulls dug themselves deep on their own.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
-
The coach, Mike McDaniel, proved a creative play-drawer, but dug an 0-3 hole in the season’s opening 12 days and beat just one winning team, Buffalo.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excavated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excavated. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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