(~s, excavating, ~d)
1.
When archaeologists or other people ~ a piece of land, they remove earth carefully from it and look for things such as pots, bones, or buildings which are buried there, in order to discover information about the past.
A new Danish expedition is again excavating the site in annual summer digs.
VERB: V n
excavation (excavations)
...the excavation of a bronze-age boat...
N-VAR
2.
To ~ means to dig a hole in the ground, for example in order to build there.
A contractor was hired to drain the reservoir and to ~ soil from one area for replacement with clay.
VERB: V n
excavation
...the excavation of canals.
N-VAR