excavate

verb

ex·​ca·​vate ˈek-skə-ˌvāt How to pronounce excavate (audio)
excavated; excavating

transitive verb

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

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
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.
The city's discovery didn't require breaking through the jungle with machetes or patiently excavating with brushes and spatulas. Anna Lagos, WIRED, 30 Oct. 2024 Ai went on a mission to excavate an untold story of punks in the chaotic world of Vietnamese New Wave, one that led her to a deeper cultural truth. Anh Do, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2024 The grief of losing my childhood home, and the grief of seeing the little hill on which my childhood home stands gradually parceled out and excavated to make way for new housing estates. Zining Mok, Longreads, 22 Oct. 2024 Hundreds of items—including a cannonball, spectacles, a pewter bowl, and twenty-six unopened bottles of wine—had already been excavated. Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for excavate 

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin excavātus, past participle of excavāre "to hollow out, form a hole in," from ex- ex- entry 1 + cavāre "to make hollow, hollow out," verbal derivative of cavus "hollow, concave" — more at hole entry 1

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of excavate was in 1599

Dictionary Entries Near excavate

Cite this Entry

“Excavate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excavate. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

excavate

verb
ex·​ca·​vate ˈek-skə-ˌvāt How to pronounce excavate (audio)
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
-ˌvāt-ər
noun

Medical Definition

excavate

verb
ex·​ca·​vate ˈek-skə-ˌvāt How to pronounce excavate (audio)
excavated; excavating

transitive verb

: to form a cavity or hole in
an excavated wisdom tooth

intransitive verb

: to make excavations or become hollowed out
an area of infarction in soft tissue often tends to excavate

More from Merriam-Webster on excavate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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