excavate
verb
ex·ca·vate
ˈek-skə-ˌvāt 
excavated; excavating
1
: to form a cavity or hole in
2
: to form by hollowing out
3
: to dig out and remove
4
: to expose to view by or as if by digging away a covering
excavate the remains of a temple
: to make excavations
Examples of excavate in a Sentence
They excavated an ancient city.
It is the first site to be excavated in this area.
They began excavating the backyard for their new pool.
The excess dirt was carefully excavated.
Recent Examples on the Web
For over 100 years, this soil has been excavated, consistently yielding impressive artifacts related to legionary life.
—
Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 25 Apr. 2026
It was excavated between 1906 to 1910, but has not been fully explored since then.
—Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Officials worked with Mi’kmaw archaeological technicians alongside both underwater and terrestrial archaeologists to excavate and document the wreck, adapting their methods to Sable Island's shifting sands.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
The sow settled into a gap in the foundation created when the home’s previous owners built an addition and excavated beneath only half of it.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for excavate
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.
Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 25 Apr. 2026
It was excavated between 1906 to 1910, but has not been fully explored since then.
—Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Officials worked with Mi’kmaw archaeological technicians alongside both underwater and terrestrial archaeologists to excavate and document the wreck, adapting their methods to Sable Island's shifting sands.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
The sow settled into a gap in the foundation created when the home’s previous owners built an addition and excavated beneath only half of it.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for excavate
Cite this Entry
“Excavate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excavate. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
excavate
verb
ex·ca·vate
ˈek-skə-ˌvāt
excavated; excavating
1
: to hollow out : form a hole in
excavate the side of a hill
2
: to make by hollowing out
excavate a tunnel
3
: to dig out and remove
excavate sand
4
: to uncover by digging away covering earth
excavate an ancient city
excavator
noun
-ˌvāt-ər
Medical Definition
excavate
verb
ex·ca·vate
ˈek-skə-ˌvāt
excavated; excavating
: to form a cavity or hole in
an excavated wisdom tooth
: to make excavations or become hollowed out
an area of infarction in soft tissue often tends to excavate
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
