verb

excavate

EHK-skuh-vayt

Excavate (verb) means to dig a hole in something, making it hollow. Example: “Workers excavated the site to lay the new foundations.”

verb

To dig a hole in something, making it hollow.

"Workers excavated the site to lay the new foundations."

To uncover something buried by digging it out.

"Archaeologists excavated an ancient burial chamber beneath the hill."

How to use excavate

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo dig out or uncover something by digging.

Common pairings

excavate a site excavate the ruins excavate a trench

excavated past tense, excavates plural, excavates singular

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Can you complete this real example?

Workers _____ the site to lay the new foundations.

From Latin excavare, "to hollow out," from ex- ("out") + cavare ("to make hollow"), from cavus ("hollow").

Origin: Latin

dig hollow unearth dig up turn up

find appear prove valley hole empty arrive discover

ate date rate mate fate abate slate plate state grate create update

What does “excavate” mean?

The word “excavate” means to dig a hole in something, making it hollow. In plain terms, to dig out or uncover something by digging.

How do you pronounce “excavate”?

“Excavate” is pronounced EHK-skuh-vayt (/ˈɛk.skə.veɪt/ in IPA).

How do you use “excavate” in a sentence?

Here is “excavate” used in a sentence: “Workers excavated the site to lay the new foundations.”

What part of speech is “excavate”?

“Excavate” is a verb.

Where does the word “excavate” come from?

The word “excavate” comes from Latin. From Latin excavare, "to hollow out," from ex- ("out") + cavare ("to make hollow"), from cavus ("hollow").

How many meanings does “excavate” have?

“Excavate” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to dig a hole in something, making it hollow.

find appear prove valley hole empty arrive discover