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
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
Stage directors and performers have attempted to excavate and animate that ambiguity, first dreamed up by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen in Hedda Gabler, for over a century.
—Rory Doherty, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
Despite talk of using nukes to carve a second Panama Canal or excavate Alaskan ports, public concern over radiation and international treaties ultimately shut the program down.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 28 Oct. 2025
Only then will the researchers begin to excavate using a hydraulic dredge.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excavate
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News Desk, Artforum, 29 Oct. 2025
Stage directors and performers have attempted to excavate and animate that ambiguity, first dreamed up by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen in Hedda Gabler, for over a century.
—Rory Doherty, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
Despite talk of using nukes to carve a second Panama Canal or excavate Alaskan ports, public concern over radiation and international treaties ultimately shut the program down.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 28 Oct. 2025
Only then will the researchers begin to excavate using a hydraulic dredge.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excavate
Cite this Entry
“Excavate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excavate. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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
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