What does "excavation" mean?
The act of excavating, or of making hollow, by cutting, scooping, or digging out a part of a solid mass.
Excavation
/ˌɛkskəˈveɪʃn/ noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The act of excavating, or of making hollow, by cutting, scooping, or digging out a part of a solid mass.
- Grammar: excavation is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: digging, abysm, abyss, archeological site.
- Useful contrasts: filling, ignorance, infill.
- Usage evidence: Human remains were found during the excavation.
How to use "excavation"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "excavation" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "excavation" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "excavation" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "excavation" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "excavation" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "digging" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "excavation", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The act of excavating, or of making hollow, by cutting, scooping, or digging out a part of a solid mass. uncountable
"Near-synonyms: hollowing out, hollowing"
- 2 the act of extracting ores or coal etc. from the earth wordnet
- 3 The act of excavating, or of making hollow, by cutting, scooping, or digging out a part of a solid mass.; Especially, the trade of digging engineered holes for building foundations, roadbed preparations, and similar purposes. countable, uncountable
- 4 the act of digging wordnet
- 5 A cavity formed by cutting, digging, or scooping. countable
"Prof. Dainelli made a personal study of the lakes of the Upper Indus lying between its confluence with the Gilgit on the west and the plains of Kashmir on the east. From this district he cites fifty lakes and groups of lakes. Many of these are moraine-dammed, but some of the larger ones, as the Satpor Tso, the Tso Moriri, the Chiun Tso, and the group of lakes associated with the Pángong Tso, he considers to have originated by glacial excavation."
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 a hole in the ground made by excavating wordnet
- 7 An uncovered cutting in the earth, in distinction from a covered cutting or tunnel. countable
- 8 the site of an archeological exploration wordnet
- 9 The material dug out in making a channel or cavity. countable
"[…] to cart away the excavations from the work, and to recart the same back again so far as required to fill the trench over the sewer […]"
- 10 Archaeological research that unearths buildings, tombs and objects of historical value. uncountable
- 11 A site where an archaeological exploration is being carried out. countable
"Gregory led the excavations alongside marine archaeologist Andreas Kallmeyer Bloch, who is also a curator at the National Museum. “It’s been a long process and I’ve come close to giving up along the way, but this is undoubtedly the craziest archaeological excavation I’ve yet been part of,” Bloch said in the news release."
- 12 Something uncovered by archaeological excavation. countable
"To date, [Taco's 1982 cover of Irving Berlin's 1935] "Cheek To Cheek" and similar auditory excavations have fared poorly."
- 13 The act of discovering and exposing or developing (a quality). countable, figuratively, uncountable
"Chua looks at the landscape of childhood rather like a mining engineer looks at a pristine landscape—ripe for the excavation of talent."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Human remains were found during the excavation."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "excavation"?
Common synonyms include: digging, abysm, abyss, archeological site, archeology, arroyo.
How do you use "excavation" in a sentence?
Human remains were found during the excavation.
How do you pronounce "excavation"?
Pronounced /ˌɛkskəˈveɪʃn/.
Etymology
From Latin excavātiō (“a hollowing out”), from excavō (“I hollow out”), from ex + cavō (“I hollow out”), from cavus (“hollow”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱewh₁- (“vault, hole”).