mattock
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of mattock
before 900; Middle English mattok, Old English mattuc
Vocabulary lists containing mattock
National Spelling Bee '14: Prelims Round 2
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I avoid toxins of all sorts in the garden, but I am merciless with a trowel, a shovel or a mattock when it comes to plant removal.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 24, 2022
Using a small ax called a mattock to loosen the dirt, he uprooted several with a gentle tug, depositing them in a plastic grocery bag.
From New York Times ● Apr. 25, 2022
The mattock that Martin was making was going to be a gift for Rainey, which she would use in the small garden behind her house.
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 19, 2019
She brought down the mattock and came up with a palm-size root the dirty white of ivory.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 6, 2017
On the grassy bank where it was damp I drove the mattock into the earth and loosened a chunk of sod.
From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
