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excavate
[ eks-kuh-veyt ]
verb (used with object)
- to make hollow by removing the inner part; make a hole or cavity in; form into a hollow, as by digging:
The ground was excavated for a foundation.
- to make (a hole, tunnel, etc.) by removing material.
- to dig or scoop out (earth, sand, etc.).
- to expose or lay bare by or as if by digging; unearth:
to excavate an ancient city.
excavate
/ ˈɛkskəˌveɪt /
verb
- to remove (soil, earth, etc) by digging; dig out
- to make (a hole, cavity, or tunnel) in (solid matter) by hollowing or removing the centre or inner part
to excavate a tooth
- to unearth (buried objects) methodically in an attempt to discover information about the past
Derived Forms
- ˌexcaˈvation, noun
Other Words From
- re·exca·vate verb (used with object) reexcavated reexcavating
- un·exca·vated adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of excavate1
Example Sentences
"Sometimes we make dramatic discoveries and sometimes we excavate an entire bed and say 'hmmm, I've been looking at that thing, what do you think?'"
Amid hordes of gnats they excavate that first fossil, which turns out to be a damaged leg bone.
About a third of the site has yet to be excavated.
A digger and about 40 local men are doing the slow work to excavate and look for bodies under the rubble.
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.
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