excavate

[ eks-kuh-veyt ]

verb (used with object)

, ex·ca·vat·ed, ex·ca·vat·ing.

1. 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.

2. to make (a hole, tunnel, etc.) by removing material.
3. to dig or scoop out (earth, sand, etc.).
4. to expose or lay bare by or as if by digging; unearth:

   to excavate an ancient city.

excavate

/ ˈɛkskəˌveɪt /

verb

1. to remove (soil, earth, etc) by digging; dig out
2. to make (a hole, cavity, or tunnel) in (solid matter) by hollowing or removing the centre or inner part

   to excavate a tooth

3. to unearth (buried objects) methodically in an attempt to discover information about the past

Derived Forms

• ˌexcaˈvation, noun

Other Words From

• re·exca·vate verb (used with object) reexcavated reexcavating
• un·exca·vated adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of excavate¹

1590–1600; < Latin excavātus (past participle of excavāre to hollow out), equivalent to ex- ex- ¹ + cav ( um ) hollow, cave + -ātus -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of excavate¹

C16: from Latin excavāre, from cavāre to make hollow, from cavus hollow

Example Sentences

About a third of the site has yet to be excavated.

From BBC

A digger and about 40 local men are doing the slow work to excavate and look for bodies under the rubble.

From BBC

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.

From Los Angeles Times

If a fresh pitch had been prepared, it may soon be excavated by a JCB.

From BBC

The commission sent Attanasio’s lawyer Kenneth Ehrlich a notice of violation in September, claiming that contractors working on Attanasio’s beach house illegally excavated sand and operated heavy machinery within state tidelands.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• scrape
• shovel
• uncover
• unearth