excavation
Americannoun
-
excavations
plural
-
a hole or cavity made by excavating.
-
the act of excavating.
-
an area in which excavating has been done or is in progress, as an archaeological site.
Synonym Usage
See hole.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of excavation
First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin excavātiōn- (stem of excavātiō ) “a hollowing.” See excavate, -ion
Explanation
Excavation is the act or process of digging, especially when something specific is being removed from the ground. Archaeologists use excavation to find artifacts and fossils. There are many types of excavation, but they all involve digging holes in the earth. Mining for coal, gold, or diamonds all require excavation, and before buildings and houses can be built, there is often some excavation that's done before a foundation can be poured. The Latin source of excavation is excavationem, "a hollowing out," from excavare, "to hollow out," with its roots of ex-, "out," and cavare, "to hollow."
Vocabulary lists containing excavation
The Alchemist
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Written in Bone
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I love that you validate gossip as part of the excavation process for making sure you’re having the right fight with the right information.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
"The study was to be conducted before the excavation and digging", not after, said local artist Salwa Mahmoud.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
It culminated in the excavation of a landfill site at Milton, Cambridgeshire, which lasted several months but found nothing.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Using microscopy, the researchers classified thousands of phytoliths collected from two excavation pits measuring 1.5 m and 2.3 m deep.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026
He indicated a roofed enclosure nearby, which had become the main excavation site.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
Remains of at least 10 Neanderthals were discovered in excavations in the cave in the 1950s.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
The research grew out of archaeological excavations carried out in 2019 and 2020.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026
While they are still to be fixed, water in the river is again running freely after a multi-agency and community effort saw vital excavations and tree removal take place.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Kusman was hired as a labourer on the Cavustepe excavations after his military service in the 1960s and there encountered his first stele.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
In order to carry out further excavations, the boulders had to be removed somehow.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
