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 On summer breaks from university, Gilmore also worked at the port, painting buildings, shoveling coal on a steamship and crewing on harbor boats. Bloomberg, Mercury News, 11 June 2026 On summer breaks from university, Gilmore also worked at the port, painting buildings, shoveling coal on a steamship and crewing on harbor boats. Bloomberg, Oc Register, 10 June 2026 This can include flattening the hill, raking or shoveling the mound, or even using a garden hose to flood the area. Cori Sears, The Spruce, 4 June 2026 Hart recovered a loose ball and started driving to the goal before shoveling a pass to Anunoby, who had gathered himself. Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 7 May 2026 In the medieval town of Belvì, men roast chestnuts—marroni—over an open fire in a frying pan the size of a swimming pool and then serve them to the crowd by shoveling them into troughs. IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 2026 Many of them include educational programs and things for kids to do, keeping them occupied if parents are shoveling compost. Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026 Crews were seen shoveling it away. Kris Habermehl, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026 Wood handles are fine for light work, such as shoveling mulch. Midwest Living, 14 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoveling
Verb
  • Price may attract attention initially, but many patients continue digging deeper before committing.
    Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 18 June 2026
  • Aided by Rachel, David begins digging through the past to figure out what happened to Matthew.
    Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 18 June 2026
Verb
  • Northwestern plans to start excavating the site later this year but still needs several state and city approvals before launching construction, most likely in 2027.
    Brian J. Rogal, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2026
  • Archaeologists excavating an ancient cemetery in Cairo have found a cache of burial objects that could shed new light on funeral practices in one of Egypt‘s most important religious centers.
    Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 1 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Shoveling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoveling. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.

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