Synonyms of shovels

shovels

verb

present tense third-person singular of shovel

as in digs

to hollow out or form (something) by removing earth

the troops quickly shoveled a trench

Synonyms & Similar Words

• digs
• excavates
• dredges
• scoops
• mines
• claws
• burrows
• spades
• grubs
• quarries
• delves
• digs in

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fills (in)
• smooths (out or over)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of shovels

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

Tyler and Cora steady a western redbud sapling as Atticus holds up a bag of soil and Eliza shovels out the fragrant earth. — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2026

For hours under the blistering sun, Raúl Servín shovels and digs his way through days filled with pain, hope and usually frustration. — ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026

Lewis, of Madison, shovels snow during a blizzard, March 16, 2026 in Madison, Wisconsin. — Kathryn Prociv, NBC news, 17 Mar. 2026

Almost immediately in the CNN Films documentary, Chase shovels fresh dirt on himself, telling intrepid filmmaker Marina Zenovich that her task will not be easy. — Ben Crandell, Sun Sentinel, 25 Feb. 2026

Plus, shovels only work well with light, fluffy snow, as wet, heavy snow is difficult to lift and move with the tool. — Catherine Messier, The Providence Journal, 23 Jan. 2026