shovel
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.
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.
to work with a shovel.
Origin of shovel
1Other words from shovel
- un·shov·eled, adjective
- un·shov·elled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use shovel in a sentence
We joked about the untouched boxload of brand new snow shovels.
Downsizing the War: Layoffs and Yard Sales in Afghanistan | Nick Willard | August 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnother shovels strings of rubber bands into his mouth like spaghetti, provoking more caterwauling from the judges.
The Most Depressing Show on Earth: Amongst the Clowns of Newark | Lizzie Crocker | March 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt's so hot right now in Australia, they're frying eggs on shovels.
Bone-chilling cold to come If shovels full of snow isn't enough, the cold air to follow could prove to be historic.
After the Blizzard, 100 Million People Will Be Hit With Freezing Air From the North Pole | Eric Holthaus | January 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn every battle we are all well trained in the kitchen and outdoors with the shovels, or chopping firewood.
‘Parks and Rec’ Star Nick Offerman on Dicks, the Opposite Sex & Feminism | Anna Klassen | May 29, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
This made the men feel ashamed, and they picked up their shovels and went to work again.
The Nursery, December 1881, Vol. XXX | VariousStreaks of gray haze rose a foot or two into the nipping air, and the clash of shovels had a new, harsh ring.
The Girl From Keller's | Harold BindlossThe lads slowly backed up against a bulk head, their hands resting easily on their shovels.
The Iron Boys on the Ore Boats | James R. MearsQuarrymen were getting out rock not far away, and left their picks and shovels over Sundays.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete | Albert Bigelow PaineAladdin's Cave with its medley of boxes, tins, picks and shovels, gladdened our eyes at 10 P.M. on the 17th.
The Home of the Blizzard | Douglas Mawson
British Dictionary definitions for shovel
/ (ˈʃʌvəl) /
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
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 way: he shovelled the food into his mouth and rushed away
Origin of shovel
1Derived forms of shovel
- shoveller or US shoveler, noun
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
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