shovel

[shuhv-uh l]

noun

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.

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

a shovelful.

Informal. shovel hat.

verb (used with object), shov·eled, shov·el·ing or (especially British) shov·elled, shov·el·ling.

to take up and cast or remove with a shovel: to shovel coal.

to gather up in large quantity roughly or carelessly with or as if with a shovel: He shoveled food into his mouth.

to dig or clear with or as if with a shovel: to shovel a path through the snow.

verb (used without object), shov·eled, shov·el·ing or (especially British) shov·elled, shov·el·ling.

to work with a shovel.

Origin of shovel

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

Related formsun·shov·eled, adjectiveun·shov·elled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for shoveling

trowel, excavate, dredge, scoop, load, unearth, shift, move, mine, muck, burrow, pass, delve, throw, digger, spade, excavator

Examples from the Web for shoveling

Contemporary Examples of shoveling

And they are putting the tools to work, shoveling cash out the door in the form of (lightly taxed until Jan. 1, 2013) dividends.
Fiscal Cliff Countdown, Day 30: Senate Meets Dada
Daniel Gross
December 6, 2012
And companies are shoveling dividends out to their shareholders before the taxman comes calling.
Fiscal Cliff Fears Drive Huge Spike in Dividend Payouts
Matthew Zeitlin
November 28, 2012
“At that time, Mr. Borcina cleaned out the fireplace, shoveling the ash into a paper bag,” Cohen says.
Madonna Badger’s ‘Today’ Interview Shouldn’t Ignore Fire’s Tragic Lessons
Michael Daly
June 21, 2012
Are the media about to bury Newt Gingrich for the third time, shoveling extra dirt on his campaign casket to just to make sure?
Newt Gingrich’s Fear Factor: What If He Loses the Florida Primary?
Howard Kurtz
January 31, 2012
Boiled down, shoveling snow and helping the stranded epitomize governing.
How Blizzards Break Politicians
Shushannah Walshe
December 29, 2010

Historical Examples of shoveling

The two men were busy for a long while, shoveling away the sand.
Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates
Howard Pyle
Uncle Eb had to do a lot of shoveling to get out of doors and into the stable.
Eben Holden
Irving Bacheller
“Yes, they are shoveling the dirt out again,” declared the girl.
The Wall Between
Sara Ware Bassett
And he kept on shoveling until the man said that was enough.
The Doers
William John Hopkins
Men were already clearing the streets, and shoveling the refuse from the stores.
Hester's Counterpart
Jean K. Baird

British Dictionary definitions for shoveling

shovel

noun

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

any machine or part resembling a shovel in action

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

short for shovel hat

verb -els, -elling or -elled or US -els, -eling or -eled

to lift (earth, etc) with a shovel

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

(tr) to gather, load, or unload in a hurried or careless wayhe shovelled the food into his mouth and rushed away

Derived Formsshoveller or US shoveler, noun

Word Origin for shovel

Old English scofl; related to Old High German scūfla shovel, Dutch schoffel hoe; see shove

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

Word Origin and History for shoveling

shovel

Old English scofl, sceofol "shovel," related to scufan (see shove (v.)), from Proto-Germanic *skublo (cf. Old Saxon skufla, Swedish skovel, Middle Low German schufle, Middle Dutch shuffel, Dutch schoffel, Old High German scuvala, German Schaufel). Shovel-ready, with reference to construction projects, is attested by 2006.

shovel

mid-15c., from shovel (n.). Related: Shoveled; shoveling. Cf. German schaufeln, verb from noun.