shovel-ready
adjective
shov·el-ready
ˈshə-vəl-ˌre-dē 
of a construction project or site
: ready for the start of work
Examples of shovel-ready in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In Elliott’s case, that includes utilizing unspent ARPA funds on shovel-ready projects within his district.
—
John Sharp | Jsharp@al.com, al, 4 Sep. 2023
Those states acted sooner than Oregon and each offered billions of dollars in incentives and hundreds of acres of shovel-ready industrial land.
—Mike Rogoway | Mrogoway@oregonian.com, oregonlive, 25 June 2023
The winning team will receive an award of at least $100,000 and will continue to work on a final design to be shovel-ready by fall of 2025.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2023
Lack of shovel-ready plans and poorly executed funding applications seem to have played a role in the feds’ rejection of the Cape bridges and MassPike requests.
—Larry Edelman, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Mar. 2023
That’s probably because the initial burst of applications consisted largely of shovel-ready projects that just needed funding, said Bruce Reznik, executive director of L.A. Waterkeeper.
—Hayley Smithstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2023
John Sharp | Jsharp@al.com, al, 4 Sep. 2023
Those states acted sooner than Oregon and each offered billions of dollars in incentives and hundreds of acres of shovel-ready industrial land.
—Mike Rogoway | Mrogoway@oregonian.com, oregonlive, 25 June 2023
The winning team will receive an award of at least $100,000 and will continue to work on a final design to be shovel-ready by fall of 2025.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2023
Lack of shovel-ready plans and poorly executed funding applications seem to have played a role in the feds’ rejection of the Cape bridges and MassPike requests.
—Larry Edelman, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Mar. 2023
That’s probably because the initial burst of applications consisted largely of shovel-ready projects that just needed funding, said Bruce Reznik, executive director of L.A. Waterkeeper.
—Hayley Smithstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shovel-ready.' 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
1995, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near shovel-ready
Cite this Entry
“Shovel-ready.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shovel-ready. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.
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