variants
or shovelling
as in digging
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 shoveling
Multiple politicians from several countries are shoveling propaganda at an electorate in order to build terror of an enemy that doesn’t exist at all.
—
Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
Bobby Chang and Reese Hornstein spent Thursday afternoon shoveling out their car in Southie.
—Logan Hall, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026
Josh Estrella, a spokesman for Mayor Brett Smiley, said that plans to pay nonprofits to organize volunteer shoveling efforts are also in the works.
—Antonia Noori Farzan, The Providence Journal, 26 Feb. 2026
An off-duty NYPD cop was pummeled to the ground by a Brooklyn couple during an argument over them shoveling snow onto her property, officials said Tuesday.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 24 Feb. 2026
Keep generators 20 feet from homes if power goes out, and take breaks while shoveling snow.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
While others are shoveling snow, scraping ice off their cars and getting all bundled up, Phoenicians are enjoying porch weather.
—Dina Kaur, AZCentral.com, 24 Feb. 2026
Boring started shoveling in 2019.
—Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 20 Feb. 2026
Whether shoveling your driveway, building a snow man with the kids, or just generally mucking around in the cold, sleet and snow, Muck Boots will keep you comfortable and protected.
—Tory Johnson, ABC News, 16 Feb. 2026
Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
Bobby Chang and Reese Hornstein spent Thursday afternoon shoveling out their car in Southie.
—Logan Hall, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026
Josh Estrella, a spokesman for Mayor Brett Smiley, said that plans to pay nonprofits to organize volunteer shoveling efforts are also in the works.
—Antonia Noori Farzan, The Providence Journal, 26 Feb. 2026
An off-duty NYPD cop was pummeled to the ground by a Brooklyn couple during an argument over them shoveling snow onto her property, officials said Tuesday.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 24 Feb. 2026
Keep generators 20 feet from homes if power goes out, and take breaks while shoveling snow.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
While others are shoveling snow, scraping ice off their cars and getting all bundled up, Phoenicians are enjoying porch weather.
—Dina Kaur, AZCentral.com, 24 Feb. 2026
Boring started shoveling in 2019.
—Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 20 Feb. 2026
Whether shoveling your driveway, building a snow man with the kids, or just generally mucking around in the cold, sleet and snow, Muck Boots will keep you comfortable and protected.
—Tory Johnson, ABC News, 16 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoveling
Verb
-
An excavator spent Thursday digging an escape channel.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Why is Elon Musk digging tunnels?—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Where Fennell’s film departs from its source—reimagining rather than excavating—Powell’s novel goes the other direction, pushing deeper into Brontë’s life and work to find what might explain them.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Crews uncovered the marble slab while excavating the site of the Mentor, a brig owned by Thomas Bruce, the British soldier and diplomat known as Lord Elgin, according to Greece's Ministry of Culture and BBC News, a CBS News partner.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shoveling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoveling. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
