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Synonyms

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Several, he says, didn't have safety kits, such as a transceiver to reveal their location or a shovel.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

I’m definitely a plastic shovel type of guy, unless we’re going through the ice.

From Slate • Feb. 24, 2026

Industrials, financials and a solidly-performing AI pick and shovel made up a handful of companies that mutual funds and hedge funds have been in lockstep agreement on in early 2026.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 23, 2026

I had a shovel programmed for my hand.

From Salon • Feb. 19, 2026

It was vibrating as strange energy radiated from Gilgamesh's shovel.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

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.