: 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
Recent Examples on the Web
The brothers used a backhoe and small crane to remove much of the concrete casing.
—
Tony Leys, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2023
Their recollections echo earlier statements from residents who told the AP of hearing a backhoe and jackhammer overnight and seeing a convoy of FBI vehicles, including armored trucks.
—Michael Rubinkam, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2023
Residents being evacuated on a backhoe on Wednesday in Muguthang.
—Reuters, NBC News, 5 Oct. 2023
At least a foot of water remained on some streets where multiple vehicles had been abandoned and heavy equipment including backhoes, forklifts and bulldozers worked to clear water and mud that still sloshed over curbs and covered sidewalks.
—Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 1 Aug. 2023
But that didn’t slow residents, who had generators humming and backhoes and earth movers hauling debris from yards.
—Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Washington Post, 1 Sep. 2023
Investigators previously used ground-penetrating radar and a backhoe to dig up and search the yard of the home.
—Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN, 1 Aug. 2023
Once marked, digging within 24 horizontal inches of the locate, known as the Tolerance Zone, is restricted to hand shoveling or vacuum extraction – no mechanized equipment, such as a backhoe or excavator, is allowed.
—Enstar Natural Gas, Anchorage Daily News, 14 July 2023
And there are backhoes and bulldozers plowing across a construction site where a new home goods store will replace a previous one that was burned to the ground.
—Megan Specia, BostonGlobe.com, 8 July 2023
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Tony Leys, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2023
Their recollections echo earlier statements from residents who told the AP of hearing a backhoe and jackhammer overnight and seeing a convoy of FBI vehicles, including armored trucks.
—Michael Rubinkam, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2023
Residents being evacuated on a backhoe on Wednesday in Muguthang.
—Reuters, NBC News, 5 Oct. 2023
At least a foot of water remained on some streets where multiple vehicles had been abandoned and heavy equipment including backhoes, forklifts and bulldozers worked to clear water and mud that still sloshed over curbs and covered sidewalks.
—Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 1 Aug. 2023
But that didn’t slow residents, who had generators humming and backhoes and earth movers hauling debris from yards.
—Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Washington Post, 1 Sep. 2023
Investigators previously used ground-penetrating radar and a backhoe to dig up and search the yard of the home.
—Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN, 1 Aug. 2023
Once marked, digging within 24 horizontal inches of the locate, known as the Tolerance Zone, is restricted to hand shoveling or vacuum extraction – no mechanized equipment, such as a backhoe or excavator, is allowed.
—Enstar Natural Gas, Anchorage Daily News, 14 July 2023
And there are backhoes and bulldozers plowing across a construction site where a new home goods store will replace a previous one that was burned to the ground.
—Megan Specia, BostonGlobe.com, 8 July 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'backhoe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1928, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near backhoe
Cite this Entry
“Backhoe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backhoe. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
backhoe
noun
back·hoe
-ˌhō 
: a large machine that digs into the earth with a metal scoop drawn toward the machine
More from Merriam-Webster on backhoe
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about backhoe
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