Illustration of mattock
: a digging and grubbing tool with features of an adze and an ax or pick
Examples of mattock in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Use the ax head of a garden mattock to cut through the roots at the base of the stump.
—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
5 July 2026
The head of it has a double-sided, conical spike that’s shaped similarly to the pointy side of a mattock (but on a much smaller scale).
—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Oct. 2025
Shovels, picks or mattocks, and a wheelbarrow are best for clearing the ground.
—
Nevin Martell,
Washington Post,
19 July 2023
Hacking through thorny multiflora rose to get to stubborn bittersweet roots, then heaving a mattock into the earth to pull them up, can be exhausting.
—
Stephanie Foo,
Curbed,
11 Aug. 2021
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
5 July 2026
The head of it has a double-sided, conical spike that’s shaped similarly to the pointy side of a mattock (but on a much smaller scale).
—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Oct. 2025
Shovels, picks or mattocks, and a wheelbarrow are best for clearing the ground.
—
Nevin Martell,
Washington Post,
19 July 2023
Hacking through thorny multiflora rose to get to stubborn bittersweet roots, then heaving a mattock into the earth to pull them up, can be exhausting.
—
Stephanie Foo,
Curbed,
11 Aug. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Mattock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mattock. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mattock
noun
mat·tock
ˈmat-ək 
: a tool for digging made of a long wooden handle and a steel head one end of which comes to a point or to a cutting edge
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
