trowel
noun
any of various tools having a flat blade with a handle, used for depositing and working mortar, plaster, etc.
trowels
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pluralof trowel.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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present tense formof trowel (3rd person singular).present tense
Used to describe things happening now or regularly.
trowelnounany of various tools having a flat blade with a handle, used for depositing and working mortar, plaster, etc.
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.
LUMEZI, Zambia—Three-year-old Dickson Ngwira was deep into his afternoon nap when half a dozen elephants, using trunks as trowels, gouged a five-foot-wide hole in the brick wall near his bed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
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.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 4, 2025
Professor Cobb pointed out that "Archaeologists must have their hands free while recording data, since we need to hold our trowels and brushes while digging."
From Science Daily ● Nov. 21, 2024
Escaping workers left roof tiles neatly stacked; their pots of lime mortar are still filled, waiting to be used; their trowels and pickaxes remain, although the wooden handles have long since rotted away.
From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2024
We work side by side, using flat-bottomed trowels and occasionally shears to cut the vines and roots that weave through the blanket of dirt.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
