EXCAVATING Synonyms: 15 Similar and Opposite Words

excavating

verb

present participle of excavate

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

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Recent Examples of excavating After Matthew passed, I was deeply saddened, but remained interested in excavating the full story of Matthew. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2026 Crews began excavating in the backyard of the home on Tuesday, looking for evidence linked to several missing women. — ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026 The current trend of excavating video game nostalgia continues with this latest cinematic adaptation of the popular franchise that dates all the way back to 1987. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026 Pollard and Harper will discuss their newest features, Tutu and Soul Patrol, and their processes of excavating history, culture, and politics in their work. — Addie Morfoot, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026 John Henry, one of the most famous characters in American folklore, was in fact a Black man who died while part of a prison work gang excavating a railway tunnel in western Virginia in the early 1870s. — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026 Abric Romaní has been explored continuously since 1983, so the team has had time to develop a method for excavating objects that are essentially empty space. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 9 Oct. 2026 Energy companies might save substantial capital by tapping naturally occurring subterranean structures rather than excavating artificial caverns or modifying depleted reservoirs. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2026 Archaeologists excavating Hattusa, the former capital of the Hittite Empire in what is now Turkey, discovered a fragment of a clay tablet inscribed with Akkadian cuneiform, according to Smithsonian Magazine. — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for excavating

digging

Verb

App control lets the wearer adjust heat zones from a phone without digging through layers, which is the kind of small detail that turns a practical gift into a memorable one.

— Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Oct. 2026
Audiences may have to wait years between Avalanches albums, but the group never stops writing or digging through its archives.

— Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of digging

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excavates

excavating

excavation

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“Excavating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excavating. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of excavating

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