excavator
noun
ex·ca·va·tor
| \ ˈek-skə-ˌvā-tər
\
\
Definition of excavator
: one that excavates
especially
: a power-operated shovel
Examples of excavator in a Sentence
The excavators found ancient tools at the site.
Recent Examples on the Web
Dozens of police officers secured the single-story home on Wednesday as an excavator tore it down. — Washington Post, "Jerusalem demolishes Palestinian home built without permit," 22 Aug. 2019 Eden’s mayor Neville Hall also reportedly told the outlet that the city will bring in an excavator to clear the debris and rubble on the site, which is expected to help with their investigation. — Joelle Goldstein, PEOPLE.com, "Video Captures the Shocking Moment a North Carolina KFC Exploded After Suspected Gas Leak," 15 July 2019 Around the corner is an excavator-worthy heaping of dirt with an extensive scattering on its surface of everyday objects with personal significance for Lennox. — Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, "Guitars, stars, and attitude," 11 July 2019 If an excavator strikes underground equipment, the result can anything from disrupted water pressure to a deadly explosion or electrocution. — Bill Laitner, Detroit Free Press, "Consumers Energy could face big fine for massive MISS DIG snafu," 1 July 2019 To the east, an excavator worked along the beach near a handful of sunbathers. — Chelsey Lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "America’s newest national park, Indiana Dunes, is also the closest one to Milwaukee," 20 Feb. 2019 An excavator in North Newark Bay dredges material as part of a cleanup effort. — Gretchen Morgenson, WSJ, "Agent Orange’s Other Legacy—a $12 Billion Cleanup and a Fight Over Who Pays," 3 Dec. 2018 Now Emily is scooped up by claw-armed excavators into a giant bag shredder that releases her and the rest of the material from inside its Hefty-brand prison. — Dennis Pillion | Dpillion@al.com, al.com, "Montgomery bet $31 million on future of recycling and its ‘magic garbage machine’," 17 June 2019 With the help of an excavator, great strips of blubber are flensed from Punctuation's body, each landing on the sand with a deep thud. — Nick Hawkins, National Geographic, "6 recent deaths push rare whales closer to extinction," 11 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'excavator.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for excavator
excavator
noun
English Language Learners Definition of excavator
: a person who digs up things that have been buried for a long time
See the full definition for excavator in the English Language Learners Dictionary
excavator
noun
ex·ca·va·tor
| \ ˈek-skə-ˌvāt-ər
\
\
Medical Definition of excavator
: an instrument used to open bodily cavities (as in the teeth) or remove material from them