tunnelled
Excavated a passage
Tunnelled is the past tense and past participle of tunnel, preferred in British English (Americans typically spell it tunneled).
To tunnel is to dig or burrow a passage through something, usually earth or rock: The prisoners tunnelled under the wall over several months.
The word extends to any movement that resembles boring through material: The worm tunnelled through the apple.
Figuratively, tunnelling suggests focused, persistent progress through obstacles or toward a goal.
Removed earth by shoveling
- drilledPierced or rehearsed repeatedly
- blastedDestroyed or damned
- minedExtracted from the ground
- boredLacking interest or engagement
trenched · jackhammer · pickaxe · earthmovers · excavators · backhoe · boring machine · TBM
Enclosed connecting walkway
- passagewayEnclosed route between spaces
- conduitTube conveying fluid or cables
- ductTube conveying fluid
- channelPassage for transmission
shaft · tube · bore · gallery · adit · subway · underpass · crawlway
Subterranean insectivore
- gopherBurrowing North American rodent
- badgerNag persistently
- rabbitLong-eared lagomorph
- warrenInterconnected underground tunnels
earthworm · groundhog · prairie dog · aardvark · molehill · den · sett · foxhole
Beneath earth's surface
- cavernLarge natural underground chamber
- geologyStudy of Earth's composition
- bedrockSolid stone underground
- strataParallel geological layers
mining · spelunking · karst · grotto · chamber · limestone · ore · seam
Flight from captivity
- secretConcealed information
- hiddenKept out of sight
- covertIntentionally concealed
- clandestineConcealed from authorities
smuggling · infiltration · evasion · POW · Alcatraz · contraband · stealth · undetected
dug
Removed earth by shoveling
bored · trenched · jackhammer · pickaxe · earthmovers · excavators · backhoe · boring machine · TBM · shoveled
corridor
Enclosed connecting walkway
- passagewayEnclosed route between spaces
- conduitTube conveying fluid or cables
- ductTube conveying fluid
channel · shaft · tube · bore · gallery · adit · subway · underpass · crawlway · access
mole
Subterranean insectivore
warren · earthworm · groundhog · prairie dog · aardvark · molehill · den · sett · foxhole · wombat
subterranean
Beneath earth's surface
- cavernLarge natural underground chamber
- geologyStudy of Earth's composition
- bedrockSolid stone underground
strata · mining · spelunking · karst · grotto · chamber · limestone · ore · seam · depth
escape
Flight from captivity
clandestine · smuggling · infiltration · evasion · POW · Alcatraz · contraband · stealth · undetected · breakout
tunnelledbridged
Connected across a gap
surfaced · went around · bypassed · circumvented · skirted
- quantum tunnellingWave-like particles crossing forbidden barriers