Excavation

Quick meaning: Excavation is a noun meaning (uncountable) The act of excavating, or of making hollow, by cutting, scooping, or digging out a part of a solid mass.

Meaning

(uncountable) The act of excavating, or of making hollow, by cutting, scooping, or digging out a part of a solid mass.

More Meanings

1. (countable) A cavity formed by cutting, digging, or scooping.
2. (countable) An uncovered cutting in the earth, in distinction from a covered cutting or tunnel.
3. (countable) The material dug out in making a channel or cavity.
4. (uncountable) Archaeological research that unearths buildings, tombs and objects of historical value.
5. (countable) A site where an archaeological exploration is being carried out.
6. (countable) Something uncovered by archaeological excavation.
7. (figurative) The act of discovering and exposing or developing (a quality).

Example Sentences

Near-synonyms: hollowing out, hollowing

To date, [Taco's 1982 cover of Irving Berlin's 1935] "Cheek To Cheek" and similar auditory excavations have fared poorly.

Chua looks at the landscape of childhood rather like a mining engineer looks at a pristine landscape—ripe for the excavation of talent.

[…] 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 […]

Word Forms

• excavations

Synonyms for excavation

Depending on context, synonyms include hollowing, dig, digging, mining.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include dig, mining, digging, prospecting, mine, drilling.

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