shoveling

variants or shovelling
present participle of shovel
as in digging
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 shoveling It's typically seen as a safe-haven asset, which is why investors were shoveling money into it earlier this year. — Cooper Katz McKim, NPR, 6 Nov. 2026 Renminbi’s place in global central-bank reserve coffers has actually fallen since 2022, despite Beijing shoveling its currency into developing economies through central-bank swap lines. — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026 Kenya’s President William Ruto and his counterparts from Uganda, Ethiopia, Togo, Benin and Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo led a ground breaking ceremony at the site, shoveling soil to show that work on the refinery has started. — Evelyne Musambi, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026 Kenya’s President William Ruto and his counterparts from Uganda, Ethiopia, Togo, Benin and Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo led a ground-breaking ceremony at the site, shoveling soil to show that work on the refinery has started. — Evelyne Musambi, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026 Kenya’s President William Ruto hosted his counterparts from Uganda, Ethiopia, Togo, Benin as well as Nigeria's former President Olusegun Obasanjo, shoveling soil at the site to symbolically show construction of the refinery has started. — ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026 Rocky’s job of the day turned out to be shoveling the steps and sidewalks of the church, which was on a corner lot and had about a block’s length of sidewalk. — Tom Drury, Harpers Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026 Locals and government officials were clearing debris and shoveling thick mud coating much of the town. — Eugene Garcia, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026 Several parody videos of people shoveling dessert into their mouths also circulated on social media. — Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 25 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoveling
Verb
  • Other names for November’s full moon refer to animals preparing for winter and the onset of colder days, such as the digging moon, deer rutting moon, whitefish moon and frost moon, the almanac said.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Despite efforts from the Rich County Sheriff’s Office, investigating possible sightings, and digging through digital evidence, Kylie remained missing.
    — Veronica Fulton-Mazaika, NBC news, 3 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • Crews started excavating the site Wednesday, once utility workers had drained water and cleared other hazards, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday.
    — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Investigators began excavating the impact crater late Wednesday, the NTSB said in a post on X, after days of rain hindered the process.
    — Angie DiMichele, Sun Sentinel, 6 Nov. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Shoveling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoveling. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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