shovelful
[shuhv-uh l-foo l]
- the amount held by a shovel.
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Origin of shovelful
Usage note
See -ful.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for shovelful
Historical Examples
One of the peasants was throwing the first shovelful of earth into the cavity.
Abbe Mouret's TransgressionEmile Zola
"The wind was driving the snow in upon us by the shovelful," he explained.
Fort AmityArthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
The sweat was rolling off him, and I was damnin' him with every shovelful.
"Run To Seed"Thomas Nelson Page
"It was like a shovelful of burning coals inside me," he asserted.
Half a shovelful of this he placed in a tin dish, which he half-filled with water.
The Tale of Timber TownAlfred Grace
Word Origin and History for shovelful
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper