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definitions

spadeful

[speyd-foo l]
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noun, plural spade·fuls.

the amount that can be dug out with or carried on a spade.

Origin of spadeful

First recorded in 1635–45; spade1 + -ful
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for spadeful

Historical Examples of spadeful

  • Then a spadeful of earth was dropped upon his chest and he was dead-living dead.

  • When a spadeful of the clay was turned up it glittered all over.

  • One spadeful more, and up it bubbled—a little spring, but a strong one.

    Star of Mercia

    Blanche Devereux

  • Spadeful after spadeful of earth was thrown out, but still the bottom was not reached.

    A Noble Woman

    Ann S. Stephens

  • It was hard to cast the first spadeful of earth upon the coffin.