as in digging
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 excavating
While excavating the River Wear, archaeologists uncovered more than 800 whetstones — stone tools that were used to sharpen weapons and other tools — as well as 11 stone anchors believed to be linked to river transport.
—
Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Full removal or excavating the root system as well as the stump is an extensive project that usually requires heavy equipment, soil replacement, and regrading the area.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 19 Jan. 2026
The process of excavating and looking back and sifting through the wreckage of everything that happened in order to write this album has been my healing.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
On the south side of Sulawesi, the Leang Bulu Bettue cave has attracted interest from scientists who have been excavating it since 2013.
—New Atlas, 8 Jan. 2026
Man-su and Mi-ri are more happily married, but months of unemployment and multiple homicides take their toll, excavating old resentments and failures, including Man-su’s past struggles with alcoholism.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2025
And throughout this latest project, Monk acted as an archaeologist of sorts, excavating all of Mirzakhani’s papers to develop an intimate understanding of her work — and, through her work, of her.
—Jordana Cepelewicz, Quanta Magazine, 18 Dec. 2025
The new evidence comes from an English site called Barnham, which scientists have been excavating for decades.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 10 Dec. 2025
Archaeologists first began excavating this wing of the Kishleh in 1999, but violence in Jerusalem during the Second Intifada, which began in 2000, halted the excavations until two years ago.
—CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Full removal or excavating the root system as well as the stump is an extensive project that usually requires heavy equipment, soil replacement, and regrading the area.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 19 Jan. 2026
The process of excavating and looking back and sifting through the wreckage of everything that happened in order to write this album has been my healing.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
On the south side of Sulawesi, the Leang Bulu Bettue cave has attracted interest from scientists who have been excavating it since 2013.
—New Atlas, 8 Jan. 2026
Man-su and Mi-ri are more happily married, but months of unemployment and multiple homicides take their toll, excavating old resentments and failures, including Man-su’s past struggles with alcoholism.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2025
And throughout this latest project, Monk acted as an archaeologist of sorts, excavating all of Mirzakhani’s papers to develop an intimate understanding of her work — and, through her work, of her.
—Jordana Cepelewicz, Quanta Magazine, 18 Dec. 2025
The new evidence comes from an English site called Barnham, which scientists have been excavating for decades.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 10 Dec. 2025
Archaeologists first began excavating this wing of the Kishleh in 1999, but violence in Jerusalem during the Second Intifada, which began in 2000, halted the excavations until two years ago.
—CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excavating
digging
Verb
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Customers are also digging through the drawers for scrap gold and unwanted or broken jewelry.—
Vanessa Yurkevich,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
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Excavators digging at Sizewell C found 321 silver coins last year, dating back between 1036 and 1044.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excavating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excavating. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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