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shovelful

[ shuhv-uhl-fool ]

/ ˈʃʌv əlˌfʊl /

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noun, plural shov·el·fuls.

the amount held by a shovel.

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Origin of shovelful

First recorded in 1525–35; shovel + -ful

usage note for shovelful

See -ful.

Words nearby shovelful

shove-ha'penny, shovel, shovel beak, shovelboard, shoveler, shovelful, shovel hat, shovelhead, shovelnose, shovel-nosed, shovelnose sturgeon

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use shovelful in a sentence

Archeologists call this report “the final shovelful of dirt” on the European hypothesis.
Incontrovertible Evidence Proves the First Americans Came From Asia|Doug Peacock|March 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Pray to God for mercy until the last shovelful of earth is cast upon thy grave.
Hebraic Literature; Translations from the Talmud, Midrashim and Kabbala|Various
She took her little fire-shovel, and began to take up the coal, a shovelful at a time, and carry it into the cellar.
Choice Readings for the Home Circle|Anonymous
Each man had a small wooden platter, into which another slave, who stood behind him, put a shovelful of purified cascalho.
Martin Rattler|R.M. Ballantyne

Apples and oranges were put upon the table and a shovelful of chestnuts on the fire.
A Budget of Christmas Tales by Charles Dickens and Others|Various
One man rams it into the ground, and the other two (by means of ropes attached) jerk out the shovelful of earth!
Where Half The World Is Waking Up|Clarence Poe