Civil Engineering & Construction vocabulary · Site Work and Equipment
Excavator
Meaning in civil engineering & construction, with examples
/ˈekskəveɪtər/nounCore term
In civil engineering & construction, excavator means: A heavy machine with a long arm, a bucket and a rotating cab, used to dig soil, load trucks and lift or move material on site.
In Turkish: ekskavatör, paletli kazıcı, kepçe
How it is used
Excavators are described by weight (a 20-tonne excavator) and by tracks or wheels. British sites also say digger, and a small one is a mini excavator. Operators use them to dig, load and trim.
Example sentences
We need a second excavator to keep up with the trucks.
The excavator hit an old water pipe about one metre down.
Common collocations
tracked excavator
mini excavator
excavator operator
excavator bucket
Related terms
excavationThe process of digging out and removing soil or rock to make space for foundations, basements, trenches or tunnels; also the hole that is dug.
earthworksAll the work of moving soil on a site: excavating, transporting, filling, compacting and shaping the ground to the required levels.
craneA large machine that lifts and moves heavy loads using a hook and cables. Tower cranes stay fixed on site, while mobile cranes are brought in when needed.
mobilizationThe start-up phase of a project, when the contractor brings people, equipment and materials to site and sets up offices, fencing, utilities and welfare facilities.
This word in other fields
The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:
