: an excavating machine having a bucket that is attached to a rigid bar hinged to a boom and that is drawn toward the machine in operation
Examples of backhoe in a Sentence
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So, with Halaby and others watching, neighbors decide to do it themselves — with a backhoe provided by a local civil engineer.
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Lauren Frayer, NPR, 15 Apr. 2025
In the Dutch Caribbean territory of St. Maarten, crews with backhoes were dispatched in late May as part of an emergency clean-up after residents complained of strong smells of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, which can affect a person’s respiratory system.
—Danica Coto, Christian Science Monitor, 4 June 2025
For downtown to get its flow back, the backhoes and construction equipment need to go, which should happen around Labor Day weekend.
—Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 29 May 2025
Rescue teams used a backhoe and dug 3 to 4 feet down to reach the pipe, then used sledgehammers to break open the pipe.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 13 May 2025
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Lauren Frayer, NPR, 15 Apr. 2025
In the Dutch Caribbean territory of St. Maarten, crews with backhoes were dispatched in late May as part of an emergency clean-up after residents complained of strong smells of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, which can affect a person’s respiratory system.
—Danica Coto, Christian Science Monitor, 4 June 2025
For downtown to get its flow back, the backhoes and construction equipment need to go, which should happen around Labor Day weekend.
—Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 29 May 2025
Rescue teams used a backhoe and dug 3 to 4 feet down to reach the pipe, then used sledgehammers to break open the pipe.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for backhoe
Cite this Entry
“Backhoe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backhoe. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
backhoe
noun
back·hoe
-ˌhō 
: a large machine that digs into the earth with a metal scoop drawn toward the machine
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