excavation
noun
Simple meaning
Excavating, or of making hollow, by cutting, scooping, or digging out a part of a solid mass.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ehkskuhvayshuhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɛkskəˈveɪʃən
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
uncountable
The act of excavating, or of making hollow, by cutting, scooping, or digging out a part of a solid mass.
“There's an interesting excavation going on near Princeton.”
Especially, the trade of digging engineered holes for building foundations, roadbed preparations, and similar purposes.
countable
A cavity formed by cutting, digging, or scooping.
uncountable
Archaeological research that unearths buildings, tombs and objects of historical value.
countable
An uncovered cutting in the earth, in distinction from a covered cutting or tunnel.
countable
Something uncovered by archaeological excavation.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The act of excavating, or of making hollow, by cutting, scooping, or digging out a part of a solid mass.
Used this way, excavation is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“There's an interesting excavation going on near Princeton.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use excavation
- “There's an interesting excavation going on near Princeton.”noun
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “excavation” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.