shovelful

noun shov·el·ful \ ˈshə-vəl-ˌfu̇l \

Updated on: 2 Mar 2018

Definition of shovelful

plural shovelfuls play \ˈshə-vəl-ˌfu̇lz\ also shovelsful play \-vəlz-ˌfu̇l\

: as much as a shovel will hold

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Recent Examples of shovelful from the Web

After bringing up only a few shovelfuls of silver spoons and gold coins, Lawes quickly retreated and called the police and the local archaeological society.

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "A Search for a Lost Hammer Led to the Largest Cache of Roman Treasure Ever Found in Britain," 9 Jan. 2018
Members of the crew gingerly sifted through the rubble, pouring shovelfuls of debris through fine grates before discarding the rest into piles ringing the foundation of the home.

— sam gross, USA TODAY, "Crews sift ruins for traces of wildfire victims," 15 Oct. 2017
Snow weighs from 7 pounds per cubic foot to an astounding 30 pounds per cubic foot, so one shovelful weighs 7 pounds to 45 pounds.

— roy berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, "How to Choose the Best Snow Shovel," 15 Aug. 2017
Spring Valley Ranch is a story of a Texas pension fund that invested poorly, spent tens of millions of dollars without turning a shovelful of dirt, and left residents of Ada County to wonder:

— cynthia sewell, idahostatesman, "A tale of two minicities: As Avimor thrives, $62 million spent next door goes to waste," 12 June 2017
Safety netting surrounded a large live oak on the property, not far from where Stimpson and others tossed their ceremonial shovelfuls of dirt.

— lawrence specker | lspecker@al.com, AL.com, "Mobile leaders break ground on Crichton fire station," 18 May 2017

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