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)
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shoveled,
past participle, past
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shovelled,
past participle, past (especially British)
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shoveling,
present participle
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shovelling
present participle (especially British)
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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)
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shovels,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shoveled,
past participle, past
-
shovelled,
past participle, past (especially British)
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shoveling,
present participle
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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
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has shoveledperfect
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has shovelledperfect
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am shovelingprogressive
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am shovellingprogressive
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are shovelingprogressive
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are shovellingprogressive
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is shovelingprogressive
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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
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had shoveledperfect
-
had shovelledperfect
-
was shovelingprogressive
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was shovellingprogressive
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were shovelingprogressive
-
were shovellingprogressive
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had been shovelingperfect progressive
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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:
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
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
In a day of action at Syston Brook, volunteers mucked in to shovel "absolutely solid" silt out of the concrete-bottomed channel, which was then removed by the Environment Agency.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
On a recent scorching afternoon, he stood on top of a truck, leveling out the stones with a shovel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
He walked two steps to the right of the hole in a clockwise curve and thrust the shovel again into the cornfield.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
You’d need the equivalent of those parade attendants in overalls who run along behind the horses with shovels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Retirees looking to permanently ditch their snow shovels will find Tucson to be one of the West’s better values.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
What they share is a shortage of shovels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
"We provide material support - literally the gloves, shovels, protective equipment and body bags they use," said Patrick Griffiths, spokesperson for the ICRC.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Included were broken parts of picks, hoes, shovels, and axes.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
“It’s all like him being shoveled around and underappreciated and not even given a name, right?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
Every so often he bent over and paused, looking like a man who’d just shoveled out his car.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 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
Benji shoveled a handful of popcorn into his mouth.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
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
"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
As the waste was brushed, scooped and shovelled off the ground, the 12-day smell really hit home with commuters taking wide berths around the operation.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2022
Under the watch of a few tearful mourners, workers hurriedly shovelled the sandy earth into one grave on Monday.
From Reuters ● Apr. 18, 2022
The BFG grabbed the garden spade and scooped up all the eggs, sausages, bacon and potatoes in one go and shovelled them into his enormous mouth.
From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl
Big Tech is shoveling billions of dollars into the AI buildout, leaving investors spooked and analysts behind.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
Baling hay and shoveling corn paid $1.25 per hour, and was also done in full sun.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
This exciting nutrition system may include fun things like nearly blinding your boss with direct sunlight at an open-air business lunch, or shoveling food in your face from 5:10 to 5:11 p.m.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026
When I was 8 years old, I was shoveling sidewalks.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 30, 2026
The next day after school, I was in the stable shoveling manure when Old Flapjack gave a snort.
From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis
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
Reuters photos showed earth movers and rescue workers shovelling silt and mud to dig out military vehicles buried by the riverside.
From Reuters ● Oct. 5, 2023
"Business is not so good," says Burhan Morkoc, a baker who spends 17 hours a day shovelling bagel-like pastries called simits in and out of a wood-burning oven.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2023
The man looked both ways as if to make sure the coast was clear, then stepped outside into the freezing cold and started shovelling his way down the pavement.
From "The Marvels" by Brian Selznick
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.
