Library / English Dictionary

EXCAVATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Remove the inner part or the core of

Example:

the mining company wants to excavate the hillside

Synonyms:

dig; excavate; hollow

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "excavate" is one way to...):

remove; take; take away; withdraw (remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "excavate"):

drive (excavate horizontally)

ditch; trench (cut a trench in, as for drainage)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

They excavate the trees

Derivation:

excavation (the act of extracting ores or coal etc from the earth)

excavation (a hole in the ground made by excavating)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Form by hollowing

Example:

excavate a cavity

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "excavate" is one way to...):

core out; hollow; hollow out (remove the interior of)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

excavation (a hole in the ground made by excavating)

excavator (a machine for excavating)

excavator (a workman who excavates for foundations of buildings or for quarrying)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Find by digging in the ground

Example:

I dug up an old box in the garden

Synonyms:

dig up; excavate; turn up

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "excavate" is one way to...):

obtain (come into possession of)

Verb group:

locate; turn up (discover the location of; determine the place of; find by searching or examining)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "excavate"):

grub out; grub up (dig up)

nuzzle (dig out with the snout)

disinter; exhume (dig up for reburial or for medical investigation; of dead bodies)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

excavation (the act of digging)

excavation (a hole in the ground made by excavating)

excavation (the site of an archeological exploration)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Recover through digging

Example:

excavate gold

Synonyms:

excavate; unearth

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Hypernyms (to "excavate" is one way to...):

bring out; reveal; unveil (make visible)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "excavate"):

dig; dig out; dig up (remove, harvest, or recover by digging)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s Adjective

Derivation:

excavation (the act of digging)

excavation (a hole in the ground made by excavating)

excavation (the site of an archeological exploration)

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