spadework

[ speyd-wurk ]

noun

preliminary or initial work, such as the gathering of data, on which further activity is to be based.

Origin of spadework

First recorded in 1770–80; spade¹ + work

Words Nearby spadework

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use spadework in a sentence

Steal her brainchild, negate all my efforts to make her independent and cheat me of the reward of my spadework.
Greener Than You Think | Ward Moore
You have to do the spadework in order to be aware of every possibility that might develop?
Warren Commission (5 of 26): Hearings Vol. V (of 15) | The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
I'm not going to do the spadework and let her reap the harvest.
The Girls of St. Cyprian's | Angela Brazil
But at night, when Patriot spadework is over, figure the sacred rights of hospitality!
The French Revolution | Thomas Carlyle
He that has four limbs, and a French heart, can do spadework; and will!
The French Revolution | Thomas Carlyle

British Dictionary definitions for spadework

spadework

/ (ˈspeɪdˌwɜːk) /

noun

dull or routine preparatory work

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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