shovels

present tense third-person singular of shovel
as in digs
to hollow out or form (something) by removing earth the troops quickly shoveled a trench

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of shovels Tyler and Cora steady a western redbud sapling as Atticus holds up a bag of soil and Eliza shovels out the fragrant earth. Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2026 For hours under the blistering sun, Raúl Servín shovels and digs his way through days filled with pain, hope and usually frustration. ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026 Lewis, of Madison, shovels snow during a blizzard, March 16, 2026 in Madison, Wisconsin. Kathryn Prociv, NBC news, 17 Mar. 2026 Almost immediately in the CNN Films documentary, Chase shovels fresh dirt on himself, telling intrepid filmmaker Marina Zenovich that her task will not be easy. Ben Crandell, Sun Sentinel, 25 Feb. 2026 Plus, shovels only work well with light, fluffy snow, as wet, heavy snow is difficult to lift and move with the tool. Catherine Messier, The Providence Journal, 23 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shovels
Verb
  • Every day her family digs, breaking through concrete with a jackhammer and their own hands, trying to reach them.
    Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026
  • As the dredge digs and sends out clouds of sediment, the east wind pushed both sediment and naturally occurring seaweed toward the beach.
    Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 28 June 2026
Verb
  • Oh Whale excavates Oregon’s infamous 1970 exploding-whale incident through the eyes of journalist Paul Linnman, who broke the story at age 23 and has been answering questions about it ever since.
    Peter White, Deadline, 19 June 2026
  • Her series are inevitably female-centric and like the Brontës, who wrote 200 years and a few miles away, her work excavates the drama of daily life and the tension between good and evil that sings below any surface.
    Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Shovels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shovels. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.

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