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spadework

noun

Definition of spadeworknext
as in effort

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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 spadework These aren’t fads or fancy frameworks, but rather daily spadework that cultivates a culture of collaborative excellence. — Doug Sundheim, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025 But the loss at the Mercedes plants will almost surely slow down the union’s campaign and probably force it to do more spadework to secure the support of workers before seeking to hold elections at other auto plants. — Jack Ewing, New York Times, 17 May 2024 In this peacemaking effort, the United States would have to do almost all the spadework. — Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Mar. 2024 Early spadework for the new batch of projects also dates back to the City of Cleveland’s 2004 Waterfront District Plan. — Steven Litt, cleveland, 26 Feb. 2022 See All Example Sentences for spadework
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spadework
  1. effort
  2. toil
  3. drudgery
  4. fatigue
  5. travail
  6. slavery
Noun
  • The strikes marked a sharp escalation in fighting between the two South Asian countries and risked further complicating international efforts to ease tensions between Islamabad and Kabul.
    — MUNIR AHMED, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Faxon contends that the documents were necessary to argue against the state’s effort to dismiss the claim.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of effort
Noun
  • But like many creatives before him (McQueen included), the relentless toil of brand building eventually began to crowd out the creativity itself.
    — Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Extreme mountain climbing has never looked anything but miserable from the distance of a screening room, and The Other Side delivers mightily on all that scraping, straining, gasping toil.
    — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of toil
Noun
  • My daily routine of placing a half dozen or so wagers of $5 to $20 feels more like drudgery than fun.
    — Dan Horn, Cincinnati Enquirer, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Worse, some of us are offloading the drudgery of writing recommendation letters, grant proposals, and even scientific papers to AI.
    — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of drudgery
Noun
  • Compacted graphite iron also has a far greater fatigue limit, all while weighing less.
    — Caleb Jacobs, The Drive, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Pauses in breathing, gasping or daytime fatigue point to sleep apnea and require professional medical evaluation.
    — Lauren Schuster, Sacbee.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of fatigue
Noun
  • The comedy-drama will revisit the lives and travails of the eponymous sisters.
    — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026
  • What happens next at first feels like a dreadful narrative misstep, seemingly reinforcing the idea that cutting oneself off from others can save them from life’s travails.
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of travail
Noun
  • The English lacked a body of laws specific to slavery; their colonists adapted.
    — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
  • States geographically above Maryland began the process of immediately or gradually abolishing slavery, beginning with Vermont in 1777 and culminating with New York, the longest holdout, in 1799.
    — Sandra Slater, The Conversation, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of slavery

Browse Nearby Words

spades
spadework
spadeworks
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Cite this Entry

“Spadework.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spadework. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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