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.

Tyler and Cora steady a western redbud sapling as Atticus holds up a bag of soil and Eliza shovels out the fragrant earth.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026

“It’s good for the picks and shovels, but it’s not good for the people who are assembling all the pieces.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

An AFP journalist in Nangarhar's Bihsud district said residents from around the remote and mountainous area joined rescuers in one village, using a digger and shovels to search for bodies under the rubble.

From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026

Armed with pickaxes and shovels, they have been sifting through the soil in scenes reminiscent of the gold rush that helped built South Africa's financial capital more than a century ago.

From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026

The men dug their shovels into the sand and dirt around the bottom of the obelisk.

From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman