shovel

American  

[shuhv-uhl] / ˈʃʌv əl /

noun

1. 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.

2. any fairly large contrivance or machine with a broad blade or scoop for taking up or removing loose matter.

   a steam shovel.

3. a shovelful.

4. Informal. shovel hat.

---

verb (used with object)

shoveled, shoveling, shovelled, shovelling

1. to take up and cast or remove with a shovel.

   to shovel coal.

2. to gather up in large quantity roughly or carelessly with or as if with a shovel.

   He shoveled food into his mouth.

3. to dig or clear with or as if with a shovel.

   to shovel a path through the snow.

verb (used without object)

shoveled, shoveling, shovelled, shovelling

1. to work with a shovel.

shovel British  

/ ˈʃʌvəl /

noun

1. 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

2. any machine or part resembling a shovel in action

3. Also called: shovelful.  the amount that can be contained in a shovel

4. short for shovel hat

---

verb

1. to lift (earth, etc) with a shovel

2. (tr) to clear or dig (a path) with or as if with a shovel

3. (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

• shoveller noun
• unshoveled adjective
• unshovelled adjective

Etymology

Origin of shovel

before 900; Middle English schovel, Old English scofl; cognate with Dutch schoffel hoe; akin to German Schaufel shovel

Example Sentences

An AFP journalist in Nangarhar's Bihsud district said residents from around the remote and mountainous area joined rescuers in one village, using a digger and shovels to search for bodies under the rubble.

From Barron's

I had a shovel programmed for my hand.

From Salon

CBS handed the shovel to the very man they were trying to bury, and he dug himself out.

From Salon

Armed with pickaxes and shovels, they have been sifting through the soil in scenes reminiscent of the gold rush that helped built South Africa's financial capital more than a century ago.

From BBC

The Department of Homeland Security initially said a federal officer shot a man in the leg after being attacked with a shovel and broom handle by three migrants on 14 January.

From BBC

Related Words

• dredge
• excavate