excavate
[eks-kuh-veyt]
verb (used with object), ex·ca·vat·ed, ex·ca·vat·ing.
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.
Origin of excavate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for excavate
unearth, uncover, shovel, scrape, gouge, cut, quarry, grub, tunnel, mine, hollow, trench, scoop, burrow, spade, delve, emptyExamples from the Web for excavate
Contemporary Examples of excavate
There have been attempts to excavate the remains, and many have been removed over the past half-decade.
In the years since, Alford has worked hard to excavate what she really feels.
However, de-miners crawling on their bellies to identify, excavate, and destroy mines remain the default modus operandi.
Historical Examples of excavate
They were men who had studied Greek history and Greek art and they planned to excavate Olympia.
Buried Cities, Part 2Jennie Hall
Excavate: with a depression that is not the segment of a circle.
Explanation of Terms Used in EntomologyJohn. B. Smith
Aren't they ever going to excavate it like they did Pompeii?
The Jolliest School of AllAngela Brazil
It took an average of 35 shifts to excavate one row of caissons.
Concrete ConstructionHalbert P. Gillette
The top was absolutely flat and of some depth, as it was so hard to excavate.
Madge Morton's VictoryAmy D.V. Chalmers
excavate
verb
Word Origin for excavate
C16: from Latin excavāre, from cavāre to make hollow, from cavus hollow
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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