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
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 excavating
The process of excavating and looking back and sifting through the wreckage of everything that happened in order to write this album has been my healing.
—
Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
On the south side of Sulawesi, the Leang Bulu Bettue cave has attracted interest from scientists who have been excavating it since 2013.
—New Atlas, 8 Jan. 2026
Man-su and Mi-ri are more happily married, but months of unemployment and multiple homicides take their toll, excavating old resentments and failures, including Man-su’s past struggles with alcoholism.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2025
And throughout this latest project, Monk acted as an archaeologist of sorts, excavating all of Mirzakhani’s papers to develop an intimate understanding of her work — and, through her work, of her.
—Jordana Cepelewicz, Quanta Magazine, 18 Dec. 2025
The new evidence comes from an English site called Barnham, which scientists have been excavating for decades.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 10 Dec. 2025
Archaeologists first began excavating this wing of the Kishleh in 1999, but violence in Jerusalem during the Second Intifada, which began in 2000, halted the excavations until two years ago.
—CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
On last year’s Darold, named after his late father, Ferg went deep on introspection, excavating his own emotions and traumas to uncover a clearer picture of himself.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 7 Dec. 2025
Archaeologists have been excavating the grounds of Hertford College, a constituent college of Oxford University, since 2024, as part of construction work for a new library.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excavating
digging
Verb
-
This Heat lineup opened Saturday’s game by digging itself in a 17-9 hole before Spoelstra made his first substitution of the night.—
-
Driven by the childhood memory of a murder near her home, McNamara spent years as an armchair sleuth, digging through records to try and solve cold cases, especially that of the Golden State Killer.—
Cite this Entry
“Excavating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excavating. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share