SHOVEL Synonyms: 14 Similar and Opposite Words

shovel

verb

Definition of shovel

as in to dig

to hollow out or form (something) by removing earth the troops quickly shoveled a trench

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Example Sentences

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 shovel Since arriving Wednesday in La Guaira, Sosa has scrambled to pull people from the rubble with his old mining pickaxe and shovel in the absence of national rescue teams. — Juan Pablo Arraez, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2026 Spielberg didn’t film those terrifying closeups of the shark – like when Jaws pops up as Brody is shoveling the bloody chump slick in the water — until Day 92. — Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 22 June 2026 Dancers in tennis skirts twirled around with rackets while breaking to move plants and shovel dirt. — Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 18 June 2026 Two helicopters dropped off hand crews, who began to shovel in the area to establish containment lines. — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 15 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for shovel

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shovel

Verb

For the second year in a row, this quiet Hill Country town is digging itself out of a catastrophe that has mercilessly taken a community trying to heal and set them back on the path of mourning.

— Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
Saturday was yet another game in which the Padres’ starting pitcher dug a hole and the offense did nothing to lend him a hand to help him out.

— Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 July 2026

Definition of dig

Verb

The women were originally excavated during the late 19th century from within the funerary complex at Dahshur, an ancient Egyptian necropolis featuring some of the oldest, largest, and best preserved pyramids in Giza.

— Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 17 July 2026
The family eventually rebuilt itself, but filming the show excavated old wounds.

— Eliana Dockterman, Time, 14 July 2026

Definition of excavate

Browse Nearby Words

shoved (off)

shovel

shoveled

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Style

“Shovel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shovel. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of shovel

verb

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