trowel

[trou-uhl]

noun

1. any of various tools having a flat blade with a handle, used for depositing and working mortar, plaster, etc.

2. a similar tool with a curved, scooplike blade, used in gardening for taking up plants, turning up earth, etc.

verb (used with object)

troweled, troweling , trowelled, trowelling .

1. to apply, shape, smooth, or dig with or as if with a trowel.

trowel

/ ˈtraʊəl /

noun

1. any of various small hand tools having a flat metal blade attached to a handle, used for scooping or spreading plaster or similar materials

2. a similar tool with a curved blade used by gardeners for lifting plants, etc

verb

1. (tr) to use a trowel on (plaster, soil, etc)

Other Word Forms

• troweller noun
• troweler noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of trowel¹

1300–50; Middle English < Old French truelle < Late Latin truella, equivalent to Latin tru ( a ) ladle + -ella -elle

Word History and Origins

Origin of trowel¹

C14: from Old French truele , from Latin trulla a scoop, from trua a stirring spoon

Idioms and Phrases

see under lay it on thick.

Example Sentences

When I saw her, brandishing a hard hat and trowel at a housebuilding site, there seemed no question of her going anywhere.

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A man who was cautioned for carrying a bladed trowel in public has said he was given no choice but to accept the reprimand because police were unable to contact a solicitor for him.

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You’ll want to bring a trowel, and have a plan for toilet paper.

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Starting from a radius of 3 feet, they gently dig toward the marker from all directions, using shovels and then switching to pointed trowels to scoop debris into dust pans for closer inspection.

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The intros had been written, the praise laid on thick, with a trowel.

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Related Words

• burrow 
• inquire