shovelful
noun
shov·el·ful
ˈshə-vəl-ˌfu̇l 
plural shovelfuls
ˈshə-vəl-ˌfu̇lz
also shovelsful
ˈshə-vəlz-ˌfu̇l
also shovelsful
ˈshə-vəlz-ˌfu̇l
: as much as a shovel will hold
Examples of shovelful in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The concussive sound of the first shovelful of dirt on the pine coffin, like the rending of the garment, shockingly tactile.
—
David Bezmozgis, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025
Just fill up a wheelbarrow with compost and shovel 3 to 4 shovelfuls of compost into small piles dotted across your lawn.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Mar. 2025
Still, much of that pride in Brooklyn’s past had been buried under stories of strip clubs and corruption and violence, each headline another shovelful of dirt.
—Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2025
Mourning family members, many who had traveled from Korea, began to throw shovelfuls of dirt onto the woman's casket during burial.
—Christina Coulter, Fox News, 29 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for shovelful
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David Bezmozgis, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025
Just fill up a wheelbarrow with compost and shovel 3 to 4 shovelfuls of compost into small piles dotted across your lawn.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Mar. 2025
Still, much of that pride in Brooklyn’s past had been buried under stories of strip clubs and corruption and violence, each headline another shovelful of dirt.
—Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2025
Mourning family members, many who had traveled from Korea, began to throw shovelfuls of dirt onto the woman's casket during burial.
—Christina Coulter, Fox News, 29 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for shovelful
Cite this Entry
“Shovelful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shovelful. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shovelful
noun
shov·el·ful
ˈshəv-əl-ˌfu̇l
plural shovelfuls
-ˌfu̇lz
also shovelsful
-əlz-ˌfu̇l
also shovelsful
-əlz-ˌfu̇l
: as much as a shovel will hold
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