excavate
[verb]
Synonyms: dig out, burrow, delve, dig up, mine, quarry, tunnel, uncover, unearth

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Related Words: gouge (out), hollow (out), scoop (out), scrape (out), quarry (out)

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English Thesaurus: dig, make a hole, burrow, plough, excavate, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

ex‧ca‧vate /ˈekskəveɪt/ verb [intransitive and transitive]
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: Latin; Origin: past participle of excavare, from cavus 'hollow']

1. if a scientist or archaeologist excavates an area of land, they dig carefully to find ancient objects, bones etc:
Schliemann excavated the ancient city of Troy.

2. formal to make a hole in the ground by digging up soil etc
—excavation /ˌekskəˈveɪʃən/ noun [uncountable and countable]

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

excavate
verb
ADV. completely, fully The area has not yet been fully excavated.
extensively | partially, partly | carefully
PREP. from Pottery has been excavated from the site.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

dig to make a hole in the ground using your hands, a tool, or a machine:
Some workmen were digging a trench at the side of the road.
In Africa, the people know where to dig for water.
make a hole to dig a hole in the ground, using your hands or a tool:
Make a hole just big enough for the plant’s roots.
burrow /ˈbʌrəʊ $ ˈbɜːroʊ/ if an animal burrows, it makes a hole or a passage in the ground by digging the earth with its feet, nose etc:
The rabbits had burrowed a hole under the fence.
plough British English, plow American English /plaʊ/ to turn over the soil using a machine or a tool pulled by animals, to prepare the soil for planting seeds:
The farmers here still plough their fields using buffaloes.
excavate /ˈekskəveɪt/ formal to dig a large hole in the ground, especially as a preparation for building something:
The men began excavating the hole for the pool.
bore to make a deep round hole in the ground using a special machine, especially in order to look for oil or water:
Companies need a special licence to bore for oil.
comment something that you say or write in order to give your opinion:
Does anyone have any comments?
Readers are invited to send in their comments and suggestions.
remark something that you say:
Just ignore them if they start making rude remarks.
I’m not sure what he meant by that last remark.
point something that someone mentions about a subject in a discussion, argument, article etc:
That’s an interesting point, Steve.
He raises (=mentions) a number of important points in his paper.
observation a comment in which you say what you think or have noticed about something:
Karl Marx made the observation that history repeats itself first as tragedy, second as farce.
aside a comment made in a low voice, that you intend only certain people to hear:
‘Is that true?’, she whispered in an aside to Don.
quip /kwɪp/ a clever and amusing comment:
She knew she should reply with some light-hearted quip.
taunt /tɔːnt $ tɒːnt/ a comment intended to make someone angry or upset:
The fans made racist taunts throughout the game.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

dig to make a hole in the ground using your hands, a tool, or a machine:
Some workmen were digging a trench at the side of the road.
In Africa, the people know where to dig for water.
make a hole to dig a hole in the ground, using your hands or a tool:
Make a hole just big enough for the plant’s roots.
burrow /ˈbʌrəʊ $ ˈbɜːroʊ/ if an animal burrows, it makes a hole or a passage in the ground by digging the earth with its feet, nose etc:
The rabbits had burrowed a hole under the fence.
plough British English, plow American English /plaʊ/ to turn over the soil using a machine or a tool pulled by animals, to prepare the soil for planting seeds:
The farmers here still plough their fields using buffaloes.
excavate /ˈekskəveɪt/ formal to dig a large hole in the ground, especially as a preparation for building something:
The men began excavating the hole for the pool.
bore to make a deep round hole in the ground using a special machine, especially in order to look for oil or water:
Companies need a special licence to bore for oil.
make a hole in something to cause a hole to appear in something:
Make a hole in the bottom of the can using a hammer and nail.
pierce to make a small hole in or through something, using a pointed object:
The dog's teeth had pierced her skin.
Shelley wanted to have her ears pierced (=for earrings).
prick to make a very small hole in the surface of something, using a pointed object:
Prick the potatoes before baking them.
My finger was bleeding where the needle had pricked it.
punch to make a hole through paper or flat material using a metal tool or other sharp object:
I bought one of those things for punching holes in paper.
You have to get your ticket punched before you get on the train.
puncture to make a small hole in something, especially something where skin or a wall surrounds a softer or hollow inside part:
The bullet had punctured his lung.
perforate formal to make a hole or holes in something:
Fragments of the bullet had perforated his intestines.
drill to make a hole using a special tool, often one which turns round and round very quickly:
The dentist started drilling a hole in my tooth.
They won a contract to drill for oil in the area.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲