EXCAVATE Synonyms: 14 Similar and Opposite Words

excavate

verb

ˈek-skə-ˌvāt

Definition of excavate

as in to dig

to hollow out or form (something) by removing earth workmen are excavating a long tunnel that will eventually replace the aboveground expressway

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of excavate Poliński, a professor at the Institute of Archaeology at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland, and his colleagues began excavating the site in Pień near Dąbrowa Chełmińska in 2005. — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026 The impact excavated pristine materials from below the lunar surface that have escaped weathering from the solar wind, galactic cosmic rays, and micrometeorites. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2026 Similar to black-eyed Susans, coreopsis is divided by carefully excavating its clumps from the soil and cutting them into small sections, ensuring each has some foliage and roots present. — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 21 Aug. 2026 In July 2025, utility workers excavating trenches to expand an underground gas network in Peru's capital unearthed two pre-Incan tombs that were over 1,000 years old. — CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for excavate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for excavate

Verb

The outfit just hit Amazon, and shoppers are already digging it.

— Annie Blackman, InStyle, 29 Aug. 2026
Riaz Lodhi, country director for the World Food Programme in Nepal, said rescue workers are trying to dig people out of the mud and that the Nepalese government is deploying helicopters to help.

— Diaa Hadid, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of dig

Verb

Residents sat in homes with walls washed away by the floods, shoveling sludge-like mud and rubble off balconies or window frames.

— Victoria Milko, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
After all, that is a quite a load – Lacy also caught 29 passes – and some of it could be shoveled off to Michigan State transfer Makhi Frazier.

— Tom Layberger, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of shovel

Browse Nearby Words

exasperations

excavate

excavated

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Excavate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excavate. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of excavate

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

dissonant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes