excavating

present participle of excavate
as in digging
to hollow out or form (something) by removing earth workmen are excavating a long tunnel that will eventually replace the aboveground expressway

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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 excavating An international team of roughly 60 researchers from 13 countries was excavating the site when the amulet was discovered. Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 26 Aug. 2026 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 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 Never being satisfied with continuing to try and get deeper and deeper to who this individual is at their core, just constantly excavating. Mike Ryan, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2026 Years spent researching Kelly has spent years researching, roaming and excavating the former Multnomah Plantation, established in 1854, in Kansas City near Liberty after discovering the story of Dougherty’s home decades ago. Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 12 Aug. 2026 Gray has spent much of his career excavating the particular anxieties of New York families trying to climb a few rungs higher in society. Sophie Miller, Rolling Stone, 10 Aug. 2026 The roughly six-mile-wide (10-kilometer-wide) asteroid struck Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, excavating the Chicxulub crater and vaporizing enormous quantities of rock. Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excavating
digging
Verb
  • The earliest community members built Etowah mounds by first digging soil for the earthen platforms, then filling them with the remains of ritual feasts.
    Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 26 Aug. 2026
  • After spending eight hours Sunday cutting, edging, shredding, digging and ripping at things in the yard and in the garage, my advice to younger readers is to invest in high-quality tools.
    Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Excavating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excavating. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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