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 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
The artifact was originally excavated about 100 years ago from a cemetery at Badari in Upper Egypt.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2026
The new plan calls for the developer to build five houses instead of two and to significantly reduce the amount of gravel being excavated from 149,000 cubic yards to 50,000 cubic yards.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 12 Feb. 2026
The team pickaxed a trench around the structure, excavated around the foundation and applied waterproofing on the brick.
—Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
For every Pollak that offered a rejoinder to the fascist appropriation of Greece and Rome, there were apologists and collaborators who gladly excavated the ancients for the purposes of modern regimes.
—Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
Atila found residues in seven different vessels but only obtained a conclusive result from one artifact excavated in the ancient city of Pergamon that dates from the second century.
—Jack Guy, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
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
The artifact was originally excavated about 100 years ago from a cemetery at Badari in Upper Egypt.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2026
The new plan calls for the developer to build five houses instead of two and to significantly reduce the amount of gravel being excavated from 149,000 cubic yards to 50,000 cubic yards.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 12 Feb. 2026
The team pickaxed a trench around the structure, excavated around the foundation and applied waterproofing on the brick.
—Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
For every Pollak that offered a rejoinder to the fascist appropriation of Greece and Rome, there were apologists and collaborators who gladly excavated the ancients for the purposes of modern regimes.
—Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
Atila found residues in seven different vessels but only obtained a conclusive result from one artifact excavated in the ancient city of Pergamon that dates from the second century.
—Jack Guy, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excavated
dug
Verb
-
They’re dug and divided in the fall or winter, then kept in cold storage until they are sent to you at the correct time for planting.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Police found evidence of a hole that had been dug near the creek, but questioned how a pair of legs could have gone unreported for days after the initial discovery.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excavated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excavated. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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