excavate
Americanverb (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.
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
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have excavatedperfect
-
has excavatedperfect 3rd person singular
-
have been excavatingperfect progressive
-
excavatessingular 3rd person
-
has been excavatingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
are excavatingprogressive
-
is excavatingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
am excavatingprogressive 1st person singular
-
excavatingparticiple
Past
-
had excavatedperfect
-
were excavatingprogressive plural
-
was excavatingprogressive singular
-
excavatedsimple
-
had been excavatingperfect progressive
-
excavatedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of excavate
1590–1600; < Latin excavātus (past participle of excavāre to hollow out), equivalent to ex- ex- 1 + cav ( um ) hollow, cave + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
To excavate is to remove or find by digging. If you have rocky soil in your garden, you may have to excavate it to remove the rocks and replace them with additional soil. Construction crews also excavate when they remove material from the ground. Workers slowly excavate subways tunnels using explosives to break up the rock and earth. Then the workers clear away the materials, hollowing out a tunnel as they go. It often takes a lot of time and effort to excavate. But most people would agree a new subway line is dynamite!
Vocabulary lists containing excavate
Power Prefix: ex-
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!
Holes
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!
100 SAT Words Beginning with "E"
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!
Definitions 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.
