PICK-AND-SHOVEL Synonyms: 100 Similar and Opposite Words

pick-and-shovel

adjective

ˈpik-ən(d)-ˈshə-vəl

Definition of pick-and-shovel

as in challenging

requiring considerable physical or mental effort she loves coming up with the "big idea" but hates the actual pick-and-shovel work of starting a new business

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of pick-and-shovel Since then, investors have treated the industrial stock as a pick-and-shovel AI play instead of a lagging conglomerate. — Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 2 July 2026 Investors have an insatiable appetite to fund the pick-and-shovel businesses underpinning data-center buildouts and Ford’s version of an AI pivot shows that even staid companies like the 122-year-old giant aren’t above the fray. — Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 14 May 2026 So far with Big Tech spending at an all-time high—fueled by a fear of being left behind—the pick-and-shovel approach has been paying dividends. — Peter Andersen, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pick-and-shovel

Adjective

The champion faced a challenging opponent, as Garry forced him to work hard for seven takedowns and inflicted some facial damage.

— Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
The current outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo Ebola virus, is unfolding in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of challenging

Adjective

The shortcomings of Usman and Dvalishvili, future Hall of Famers, only point to how difficult the historic mark was to reach.

— Mark Puleo, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
The Teamsters have been enthusiastically endorsing the bill specifically because, while 40-something employers would be difficult to collectively bargain against, DSP workers would be much easier to organize once within Amazon.

— Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of difficult

Adjective

Coventry, for example, face Manchester City away in Gameweek Three, while some of the teams worth targeting early like Manchester United, Chelsea and Sunderland have tougher fixtures in Gameweeks Three or Four.

— Abdul Rehman, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
This summer has seen a confluence of challenges, including excessive heat that allows food contamination to grow and a pathogen that’s particularly tough to pin down.

— Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of tough

Adjective

Thanks to the shrinking publishing industry and dwindling writerly job market, the internet is rife with smart freelance editors, rigorous copy editors, and award-winning authors moonlighting as book doulas.

— Keziah Weir, Vanity Fair, 13 Aug. 2026
Every personal loan article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of personal loan products.

— Jasmin Suknanan, CNBC, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of rigorous

Adjective

For the last six years, Six has lived as a recluse in Amsterdam, lying in bed and going out twice a day for decaf coffee (the regular brew is too hard on his shattered nerves).

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
That could make a huge difference in remote communities where fuel is hard to find and dependable electricity cannot be taken for granted.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of hard

Adjective

Miami entered the game riding a seven-match unbeaten streak in league play and leading MLS with 45 goals, but facing a formidable foe in Nashville.

— Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026
This one stars Cox himself as a mysterious and formidable old man in an undertaker’s suit and parson’s hat who wanders into an Arizona border town in 1890 to gather the names of dead Mexican laborers.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of formidable

Adjective

There’s a recent example of how complicated that can be in practice.

— Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
Finding the balance between preserving clubhouse culture and throwing future pieces into the fire remains complicated, even as the team dropped to 60-65 following Saturday’s 5-4 walk-off loss to the New York Mets.

— Spencer Nusbaum, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of complicated

Browse Nearby Words

pick

pick-and-shovel

pick at

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“Pick-and-shovel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pick-and-shovel. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of pick-and-shovel

adjective

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