trowel

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noun trow·el \ ˈtrau̇(-ə)l \

Definition of trowel

:any of various hand tools used to apply, spread, shape, or smooth loose or plastic material; also :a scoop-shaped or flat-bladed garden tool for taking up and setting small plants

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Recent Examples of trowel from the Web

On Friday, a construction worker used a hose to spray on the concrete walls of the lap pool as nine others followed him, sweeping away the excess and smoothing the surface with trowels.

— susan jacobson, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Crosby Wellness Center will no longer be a YMCA when it reopens in Winter Park in 2018," 23 Aug. 2017
Someone produces a roll of toilet paper, and Des Lauriers scoops up the fragments with his trowel and eases them onto the improvised padding.

— lizzie wade, Science | AAAS, "Most archaeologists think the first Americans arrived by boat. Now, they’re beginning to prove it," 10 Aug. 2017
Step 6: Mix the concrete and apply a ½- to 1-inch layer to the hull using trowels, floats, and your hands.

— jim wilde, Popular Mechanics, "How to Make a Concrete Canoe," 2 Aug. 2017
Some don't ever pick up a trowel, but use satellite images to search for undiscovered ancient sites.

— Fox News, "What could space archaeologists tell us about astronaut culture?," 19 July 2017
Cooks use a bricklayer’s trowel, which has more force than a typical spatula.

— robert philpot, star-telegram.com, "Hookers Grill can put you in a nostalgic state," 31 May 2017
Use a weeder with a forked end or a trowel to help get the roots out.

— tim johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Grass invading your perennials? Pull with persistence, or apply herbicide," 26 May 2017
Max gave us trowels and showed us how to grab a clump and carefully dig out the bulbs.

— sarah theeboom, Condé Nast Traveler, "Tentrr Will Help You Find Your Dream Campsite," 17 May 2017
The new working class contains many of the traditional blue-collar occupations — truck driver, electrician, plumber — but by and large its members are more likely to wield mops than hammers, and bedpans rather than trowels.

— barbara ehrenreich, New York Times, "Divisions .Of Labor," 23 Feb. 2017

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

Illustration of trowel

Origin and Etymology of trowel

Middle English truel, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin truella, from Latin trulla ladle

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

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Other Hardware Terms

adze, auger, awl, chock, ferrule, punch, tang

trowel

verb

Definition of trowel

troweled or trowelled; troweling or trowelling

transitive verb

:to smooth, mix, or apply with or as if with a trowel

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troweler

noun

Recent Examples of trowel from the Web

Downstairs is a guest bedroom with a nice sized walk-in closet, crown molding and troweled textured walls.

— star-telegram, "Ebby Halliday Realtors | Arlington," 21 May 2017

First Known Use of trowel

circa 1670

Other Building Terms

batten, cistern, hearth, lath, transom, wainscot

TROWEL Defined for English Language Learners

trowel

play

noun

Definition of trowel for English Language Learners

: a small tool with a curved blade that is used by gardeners for digging holes
: a small tool with a flat blade that is used for spreading and smoothing mortar or plaster