steam shovel


noun
  1. a machine for digging or excavating, operated by its own engine and boiler.

Origin of steam shovel

1
An Americanism dating back to 1875–80

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How to use steam shovel in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for steam-shovel

steam-shovel

noun
  1. a steam-driven mechanical excavator, esp one having a large bucket or grab on a beam slung from a revolving jib

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