excavate
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.
are excavating
-
present progressiveof excavate.present progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or state that is currently taking place in the immediate present.
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.
"People are excavating by hand to rescue the bodies of their relatives since there are no tools or machinery", Francesco Lanino, Save the Children's deputy Sudan director for programmes and operations, said.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2025
This summer, he and colleagues are excavating caves in Borneo and Sulawesi that may add to the evidence of humans in the region around this time.
From Science Magazine ● Jun. 13, 2023
The crews are excavating by layers and making trapezoid-shaped descents to carry on their search from both sides of the mountain in an adjustment of their rescue plans, the report said.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 23, 2023
In the middle of the night, as most of the D.C. suburbs are sleeping, construction workers are excavating a tunnel beneath eastern Silver Spring.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 13, 2018
This appears to have been the case with many of the trees in coal-mines, where they are seen to pierce the strata, and around which the miners are excavating the coal.
From The Story of a Piece of Coal What It Is, Whence It Comes, and Whither It Goes by Edward A. Martin
