shovel
Americannoun
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shovels
plural
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an implement consisting of a broad blade or scoop attached to a long handle, used for taking up, removing, or throwing loose matter, as earth, snow, or coal.
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any fairly large contrivance or machine with a broad blade or scoop for taking up or removing loose matter.
a steam shovel.
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a shovelful.
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Informal. shovel hat.
verb (used with object)
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shovels,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shoveled,
past participle, past
-
shovelled,
past participle, past (especially British)
-
shoveling,
present participle
-
shovelling
present participle (especially British)
-
to take up and cast or remove with a shovel.
to shovel coal.
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to gather up in large quantity roughly or carelessly with or as if with a shovel.
He shoveled food into his mouth.
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to dig or clear with or as if with a shovel.
to shovel a path through the snow.
verb (used without object)
-
shovels,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shoveled,
past participle, past
-
shovelled,
past participle, past (especially British)
-
shoveling,
present participle
-
shovelling
present participle (especially British)
noun
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an instrument for lifting or scooping loose material, such as earth, coal, etc, consisting of a curved blade or a scoop attached to a handle
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any machine or part resembling a shovel in action
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Also called: shovelful. the amount that can be contained in a shovel
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short for shovel hat
verb
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to lift (earth, etc) with a shovel
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(tr) to clear or dig (a path) with or as if with a shovel
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(tr) to gather, load, or unload in a hurried or careless way
he shovelled the food into his mouth and rushed away
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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shovelsimple
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shovelssimple
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have shoveledperfect
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have shovelledperfect
-
has shoveledperfect
-
has shovelledperfect
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am shovelingprogressive
-
am shovellingprogressive
-
are shovelingprogressive
-
are shovellingprogressive
-
is shovelingprogressive
-
is shovellingprogressive
-
have been shovelingperfect progressive
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have been shovellingperfect progressive
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has been shovelingperfect progressive
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has been shovellingperfect progressive
Past
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shoveledsimple
-
shovelledsimple
-
had shoveledperfect
-
had shovelledperfect
-
was shovelingprogressive
-
was shovellingprogressive
-
were shovelingprogressive
-
were shovellingprogressive
-
had been shovelingperfect progressive
-
had been shovellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of shovel
before 900; Middle English schovel, Old English scofl; cognate with Dutch schoffel hoe; akin to German Schaufel shovel
Explanation
A shovel is the tool you need if you want to dig holes in the ground. If you're taking your younger cousins to the beach, be sure to bring lots of pails and shovels so they can build a sandcastle. A shovel has a long handle and a wide, curved blade at the end. By pushing the end of the shovel into the ground and scooping, you can shovel out enough soil to make room for the treasure chest you want to bury. Shovels are useful for clearing snow from sidewalks and driveways too, and you can describe the amount of dirt carried in a shovel as a shovel (or shovelful) of dirt.
Vocabulary lists containing shovel
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.
See Examples For:
Sewage Joe and almost every character I play either has a wrench or a shovel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
When “Digger” briefly strikes this resonant note, its warring aspects begin to coalesce, before Iñárritu strikes them with a shovel and breaks everything up again.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026
Another pushed a wheelbarrow, calling out, “Does anyone need a shovel, saw or hammer?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
First, he assumes that they’re as gullible as he is—that, since he believes the compliments they shovel his way, they’ll believe his shovelings too.
From Slate ● Sep. 10, 2026
She tugged the shovel from my hand and dug it into the mud.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
You once told me that you’ve worked with a lot of toilets and shovels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
Plus, diesel hits a new high and cancer vaccine picks and shovels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
On Sunday rescue workers in China recovered twelve bodies in the Nepal-Tibet border, using excavators, shovels and ground penetrating radar at the site.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
In Dhunge, Navraj Upretti waded through knee-high sludge towards his home, flanked by two rescuers carrying shovels by his side.
From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026
I watched as some of the workers dug with shovels around the obelisk.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
We both cooked, kept house, made beds, shoveled snow, mowed the lawn, handled the finances, and bought, built or leased the 11 different homes we lived in before retiring.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
They plowed the outfield grass and shoveled away the couple inches of snow that piled up between 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. to prepare a playable field by gametime at 6:40 p.m.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
The snow has been shoveled to the side, but it remains hazardous for both pedestrians and drivers, and needs an extra boost to go away in a timely fashion.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026
The share count will increase when newly created stock is shoveled to executives as part of their compensation or if shares are issued to help pay for acquisitions.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 28, 2025
He held his plate right up to his face and shoveled the noodles in like a prisoner afraid of it being snatched away.
From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds
Thousands of athletes, some as young as 12, were shovelled through a programme where cheating was a prerequisite.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2024
Sheridan was forced into action again as she shovelled Sinead Farrelly's effort wide, but Canada should have been level, only for stretching defender Vanessa Gilles to somehow poke. over from five yards from a corner.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2023
The United Arab Emirates' commercial centre, Dubai has shovelled resources into social and business reforms and sectors like digital technology.
From Reuters ● Jun. 19, 2023
"I'm planning to share it with my family and friends," the investment expert said, as cinema workers shovelled the popcorn into buckets and boxes.
From Reuters ● Nov. 28, 2022
Or was it all thrown away, shovelled into dustpans?
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
Big Tech is shoveling billions of dollars into the AI buildout, leaving investors spooked and analysts behind.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
PIV lured megastar golfers Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and others away from the PGA Tour by shoveling hundreds of millions of dollars into their bank accounts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
His days on the railroad involved long hours shoveling coal into the furnaces that fed locomotive steam engines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026
Don’t miss: ‘I was shoveling sidewalks at 8 years old’: I’m a 73-year-old boomer dad with two kids.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 6, 2026
Sheed rounded the corner into Grandma’s kitchen and found Otto shoveling a final spoonful of cereal into his mouth.
From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles
Images released by state media showed Kim shovelling soil alongside other officials at a ceremony attended by an excited crowd clapping and waving North Korean flags.
From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026
Miller blasted a long shot toward the Oilers’ net and Lindholm picked it up, kicking the puck to his stick at the bottom of the slot, then shovelling a backhanded shot into the Edmonton net.
From Seattle Times ● May 12, 2024
Her father took jobs from shovelling coal to driving a taxi, while her mother worked in a sweet shop.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2023
On a sun-scorched shoreline in Iraq's southern marshlands, fishermen stood shovelling a grim catch: tiny fish gathered dead from the water, fit only for use as animal fodder.
From Reuters ● Jun. 5, 2023
The boy grasped the barking animal, and Joseph pulled them both down behind the car just as the man shovelling snow turned around.
From "The Marvels" by Brian Selznick
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