| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | excavating |
| Synonyms: | boring, burrowing, digging, drilling, hollowing, pitting, prospecting, quarrying, scooping, tapping, tunneling, unearthing |
| Main Entry: | excavation |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | site of digging; digging |
| Synonyms: | blasting, burrow, cavity, cut, cutting, dig, disinterring, ditch, dugout, exhuming, hole, hollow, mine, mining, pit, quarry, removal, scooping, shaft, shoveling, trench, trough, unearthing |
| Antonyms: | filling |
| Main Entry: | bore |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | drill hole |
| Synonyms: | burrow, gouge out, mine, penetrate, perforate, pierce, pit, prick, punch, puncture, ream, riddle, sink, tunnel |
| Notes: | a boar is a male pig; a boor is a person with rude, clumsy manners and little refinement; a bore is one that is wearingly dull, repetitive, or tedious |
| Main Entry: | defend |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | protect |
| Synonyms: | avert, battle, beat off, bulwark, care for, cherish, conserve, contend, cover, entrench, espouse, fend off, fight, fight for, fortify, foster, garrison, guard, guard against, hedge, hold, hold at bay, house, insure, keep safe, look after, maintain, mine, nourish, oppose, panoply, preserve, prevent, provide sanctuary, repel danger, resist, retain, safeguard, save, screen, secure, shelter, shield, stave off, sustain, take in, uphold, war, ward off, watch, watch over, withstand |
| Antonyms: | abandon, attack, desert, leave, quit, relinquish, resign, surrender |
| Main Entry: | dig |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | delve into; hollow out |
| Synonyms: | bore, break up, bulldoze, burrow, cat, channel, clean, concave, deepen, depress, dig down, discover, dredge, drill, drive, enter, excavate, exhume, fork out, go into, gouge, grub, harvest, hoe, investigate, mine, penetrate, pierce, pit, probe, produce, quarry, root, root out, rout, sap, scoop, scoop out, search, shovel, sift, spade, till, tunnel, turn over, uncover, undermine, unearth |
| Antonyms: | fill |
| Main Entry: | excavate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | dig up |
| Synonyms: | burrow, cut, delve, empty, gouge, grub, hollow, mine, quarry, scoop, scrape, shovel, spade, trench, tunnel, uncover, unearth |
| Antonyms: | fill |
| Main Entry: | exploit |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | take advantage of; misuse |
| Synonyms: | abuse, apply, avail oneself of, bleed, capitalize on, cash in on, employ, exercise, finesse, fleece, get mileage out of, handle, impose upon, jockey, make capital of, make use of, maneuver, manipulate, milk, mine*, play on, play*, profit by, profit from, put to use, skin*, soak*, stick*, use, utilize, work |
| Main Entry: | tap |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | pierce to drain |
| Synonyms: | bleed, bore, broach, draft, drain, draw, draw forth, draw off, draw out, drill, empty, lance, milk, mine, open, penetrate, perforate, pump, riddle, siphon, spear, spike, stab, unplug, unstopper, use, utilize |
| Main Entry: | tunnel |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | dig a passage through |
| Synonyms: | burrow, excavate, mine, penetrate, sap, scoop out, undermine |