EXCAVATION Synonyms: 69 Similar and Opposite Words

excavation

noun

Definition of excavation

as in trench

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of excavation Hisham El-Leithy, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, told Ahram that further excavation and research is needed in order to definitively confirm the connection. — Leigh Anne Miller, ARTnews.com, 17 Aug. 2026 As for Sarah, once Geoff and Zoe finish with the excavation paperwork, her remains will be sent home where she can be properly buried and honored by her family. — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026 The excavation area was about the size of a standard school bus. — Dateline Nbc, NBC news, 13 Aug. 2026 Emily Lindsey, curator and excavation site director at the La Brea Tar Pits’ center, said the discovery of the ice age toad is an example of the ongoing discoveries being made at the museum. — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for excavation

Recent Examples of Synonyms for excavation

Noun

Tasks included scooping and dumping sand or gravel, digging and grading trenches, clearing debris from roads, removing tree branches from water edges, and breaking up rocks.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 21 Aug. 2026
That made General Manager Adam Peters comfortable going the entire offseason without making a significant addition to the offensive trenches.

— Tashan Reed, Washington Post, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of trench

Noun

After carefully entering the cave, the photographer watched as more turtles arrived with the rising tide, eventually counting 17 individuals sharing this quiet refuge.

— Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
Over time, this process creates fractures, caves and sinkholes.

— Nolan Roth, Scientific American, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of cave

Noun

This cushion is required at the very top of the caverns to keep the extraction pipes safely submerged in oil rather than the underlying water.

— Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
The oil in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) is stored at 60 salt caverns thousands of feet underground at four major sites along the Gulf Coast in Louisiana and Texas.

— Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of cavern

Noun

Their body temperature drops from about that of a human to as low as 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius), not much warmer than their burrows in winter.

— Brittany Peterson, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026
As opposed to beavers that build dams and lodges, block streams and divert and channel water, these beavers dig underwater into the bank of the reservoir and access their burrows through underground tunnels.

— Carl R. Gold, Baltimore Sun, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of burrow

Noun

The pool and spa are paired with a summer kitchen and covered dining area, while a rooftop deck is equipped with yet another bar, plus a fire pit and commanding views of the Red Rock Mountains.

— Tori Latham, Robb Report, 24 Aug. 2026
Like Mercedes, Ferrari issued team orders, instructing Leclerc to pit so Hamilton, who was on a different strategy, could maximize the use of his tires.

— Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of pit

Noun

In the spring, when the snow is melting and the springs that are high up in the rock cliffs some miles away are carrying it down full speed, the ditches overflow as does the little creek that runs near my cabin.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026
Though Sarnia’s industrial corridor is downstream from Lake Huron, several drainage ditches in the area are connected to creeks that flow into the lake, Corcoran said in an interview.

— Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of ditch

Noun

The researchers suggested that the cavity’s fluctuating electromagnetic field interacts with the superconducting state through virtual photons.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2026
That’s not a good way to get into the chest cavity by shooting them in the shoulder.

— Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of cavity

Browse Nearby Words

excavating

excavation

excavations

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Style

“Excavation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excavation. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of excavation

noun

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