1. (

• excavate ,
• unearth

) recover through digging; "Schliemann excavated Troy"; "excavate gold" ;

2. (

• excavate ,
• dig_up ,
• turn_up ,

) find by digging in the ground; "I dug up an old box in the garden" ;

3. (

• excavate ,

) form by hollowing; "Carnegie had a lake excavated for Princeton University's rowing team"; "excavate a cavity" ;

4. (

• excavate ,
• dig ,
• hollow ,

) remove the inner part or the core of; "the mining company wants to excavate the hillside" ;