excavation
Americannoun
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a hole or cavity made by excavating.
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the act of excavating.
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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
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Written in Bone
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Island of the Blue Dolphins
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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.
The first modern excavation, led by the American Society for the Excavation of Sardis in the early 20th century, was "a really large-scale exploitation," Alexandridis said.
From Science Daily • Jun. 25, 2026
Excavation will probably occur on plots where street trees are typically placed.
From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026
Excavation mounds at the site suggest the facility could be between 260 feet and 328 feet under the ground, according to experts and AP’s analysis.
From Washington Times • May 23, 2023
Excavation incidents killed 35 workers across the U.S. in 2022 — more than double the deaths reported the year before, L&I said.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 15, 2023
It’s about a twenty-minute ride into the mountains to what Wexford-Smythe University calls the Shadbush County Excavation Site.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
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.
