shovel

verb

Definition of shovelnext
as in to dig
to hollow out or form (something) by removing earth the troops quickly shoveled a trench

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 There’s truly nothing like licking that paper lid, then shoveling that tiny tongue depressor into a child-sized serving of vanilla or chocolate ice cream. — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2026 When commercial extraction began in the 1840s, workers were not simply shoveling loose bird droppings. — Edward D. Melillo, Fortune, 27 July 2026 Vikings Hall of Famer John Randle equated Ryan to the person, cloaked head to foot in soot, who shovels coal into a train engine without the passengers ever seeing his face. — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 24 July 2026 Tesla said Wednesday that its profits fell last quarter as the car company run by Elon Musk shoveled more money into research and development, cutting into profits from a sharp increase in vehicle sales. — ABC News, 22 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for shovel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shovel
  1. dig
  2. excavate
Verb
  • Packing snacks in individual portions also gets around having to dig through your bag.
    — Iona Brannon, Travel + Leisure, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Since the jet stream tends to be displaced southward during El Niño, colder air can dig further south too.
    — Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of dig
Verb
  • The roughly six-mile-wide (10-kilometer-wide) asteroid struck Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, excavating the Chicxulub crater and vaporizing enormous quantities of rock.
    — Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The team tried excavating another unknown soldier from an unrelated case just a day before, but were unsuccessful.
    — Hope McKenney, NPR, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of excavate

Browse Nearby Words

shoved (off)
shovel
shoveled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shovel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shovel. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on shovel

Nglish: Translation of shovel for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about shovel

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of salvo

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All