shovel

noun shov·el \ ˈshə-vəl \

|Updated on: 14 Aug 2018

Definition of shovel

1 a : a hand implement consisting of a broad scoop or a more or less hollowed out blade with a handle used to lift and throw material

b : something that resembles a shovel

c : an excavating machine; especially : a hydraulic diesel-engine driven power shovel

2 : shovelful

See shovel defined for English-language learners

See shovel defined for kids

Recent Examples of shovel from the Web

Diane grabbed a shovel and dumped dirt on the bushes, saving the expensive units.

— anne ryman, azcentral, "Granite Mountain Hotshots: An untold story from the day 19 firefighters died," 23 June 2018
For the archaeologists charged with recovering this landscape’s memories, digging into the past with a vast shovel-and-pickaxe party was out of the question.

— nick stockton, WIRED, "Laser-Shooting Planes Uncover the Horror and Humanity of World War I," 9 July 2018
County officials said the I-80/U.S. 30 project is shovel-ready and could go out for bids later this summer.

— susan demar lafferty, Daily Southtown, "IDOT awards grant to improve I-80 interchange at U.S. 30," 6 June 2018
The interior is outfitted with barrels, rakes, shovels and artifacts.

— ana gershanik, NOLA.com, "See the Creatures of the Night at the Audubon Zoo," 11 Apr. 2018
The soundtrack of the WWE Performance Center is the thump of human bodies against canvas mats, like a timpani drum being smacked with a shovel.

— jon tayler, SI.com, "Million Dollar Moves: After His Unlikely Baseball Career Flamed Out, Rinku Singh's Next Stop Is WWE," 3 July 2018
Jennifer Sutcliffe said her husband found a 4-foot rattlesnake and hacked off its head with a shovel.

— edmund demarche, Fox News, "Texas man allegedly bites tail off rattlesnake, releases it in neighbor's home: report," 2 July 2018
Like, why would evolution produce an elephant with a shovel for a face?

— matt simon, WIRED, "How Roboticists Are Copying Nature to Make Fantastical Machines," 28 June 2018
Rodríguez Besosa, whose pixie cut and thin limbs give her the appearance of a rangy Peter Pan, stands with a shovel by beds of cilantro, mustard greens, and kale.

— tamar adler, Vogue, "The Young Farmers Behind Puerto Rico’s Food Revolution," 20 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shovel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of shovel

Middle English, from Old English scofl; akin to Old High German scūfla shovel, Old English scūfan to thrust away

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

shovel

verb

Definition of shovel

shoveled or shovelled; shoveling or shovelling play \ˈshə-və-liŋ, ˈshəv-liŋ\

transitive verb

1 : to take up and throw with a shovel

2 : to dig or clean out with a shovel

3 : to throw or convey roughly or in a mass as if with a shovel

shoveled his food into his mouth

intransitive verb

: to use a shovel

See shovel defined for English-language learners

Examples of shovel in a Sentence

He is outside shoveling snow.
I have to shovel the driveway.
I had to shovel for an hour to clear the driveway.
The snow was so deep we had to shovel a path to our front door.
Stop shoveling food into your mouth.

Recent Examples of shovel from the Web

Just after Columbus' Thomas Vanek knocked the puck out of the blue paint with his glove, Kuznetsov shoveled the carom from the right boards out to Wilson, who connected from above the circle at 6:16.

— mitch stacy, baltimoresun.com, "No overtime necessary as Capitals defeat Blue Jackets, 4-1, to even series at two games each," 19 Apr. 2018
Volunteer Chip Spencer, 41, took a break from shoveling mud to have a cigarette.

— christina tkacik, baltimoresun.com, "Ellicott City begins the great 'muck out' — again," 3 June 2018
Groveland Firefighter Brian Belfiore has received the EMS Steward of the Community Award from Steward Health Care for saving the life of a man who suffered a heart attack when shoveling during a January storm.

— linda greenstein, BostonGlobe.com, "Groveland firefighter honored for saving a life," 30 May 2018
Most of these men are looking for a job of pitching hay in the winter and shoveling snow in the summer time.

— johnny miller, San Francisco Chronicle, "A look at the past: Lurie finds a room for Bojangles, 1943," 12 Apr. 2018
The two men keep warm by doing pushups against the stone walls of the bridge or by shoveling snow around the flowers and photos of Nemtsov.

— sabra ayres, latimes.com, "On a Moscow bridge, volunteers brave weather and provocateurs to maintain memorial to Boris Nemtsov," 24 Feb. 2018
Tuesday, the Pagels had a crew of 35 shoveling snow from the barn roofs.

— rick barrett, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Dairy barn roofs collapse under heavy snow, killing and trapping some cows in northeastern Wisconsin," 17 Apr. 2018
Elmhurst Extended Care agreed at least in part with many of those requests, which included providing of all-season landscaping, shoveling snow on Fremont sidewalks and agreeing not to build a wooden fence on Fremont.

— graydon megan, chicagotribune.com, "Elmhurst Council approves controversial nursing home expansion," 20 Mar. 2018
On the other hand, if the weather were TRULY bad enough to call off school, shouldn't everyone be out shoveling snow or rushing to the store as if bread and milk would never be sold again?

— scott springer, Cincinnati.com, "Springer: Ice Ice Baby (not a fan)," 7 Jan. 2018

First Known Use of shovel

15th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

shovel Synonyms

SHOVEL Defined for English Language Learners

shovel

noun

Definition of shovel for English Language Learners

: a tool with a long handle that is used for lifting and throwing dirt, sand, snow, etc.
: the part of a machine (such as a backhoe) that picks up and moves dirt, sand, snow, etc.