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Excavate Meaning in English

word

ˈɛkskəˌveɪt
EKS-kuh-vayt
ˈɛkskəvˌeɪt
EKS-kuh-vayt

Definition

To dig into the ground to remove earth or find something, often used for construction or archaeology.

Usage & Nuances

'Excavate' is formal and often used in technical, scientific, and construction contexts. Common collocations include 'excavate a site', 'excavate fossils', and 'excavate remains.' It's not used for small or casual digging; use 'dig' for those situations.

Example Sentences

Workers will excavate the land before building the new school.

basic

Archaeologists often excavate to uncover ancient objects.

basic

They will excavate a large hole for the new swimming pool.

basic

It took months to excavate all the ruins at the site.

natural

Did they really need to excavate the whole backyard?

natural

Once we excavate here, we might find something no one has seen before.

natural