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
  • Houthi spokesman Nasruddin Amer said on X on Friday that the group will continue to target any Saudi buildups in an effort to lift the kingdom’s blockade on Yemen.
    — Fatma Khaled, Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2026
  • The significant time and effort involved makes most sense when recruiting, hiring, training, and mentoring large numbers for identical (or at least similar) jobs.
    — Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of effort
Noun
  • Innovation has long relied on the integrity of inventors to ensure the authenticity of their creativity and toil.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Outside, a group of tourists paused to watch her toil, then one read the restaurant sign near the door aloud.
    — Natalie B. Compton The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 19 July 2026
Definition of toil
Noun
  • Like its name suggests, Don’t Let Disco pieces act as talismans of joy, connection, and emotion against the drudgery of regular life.
    — Madeline Hirsch, InStyle, 5 Aug. 2026
  • In Pogacar, we are blessed with one of the most aggressive yellow jerseys in history, responsible for dragging cycling from the tactical drudgery of the 2010s.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 27 July 2026
Definition of drudgery
Noun
  • That same study found users to have experienced other side effects such as nausea, flushing and fatigue.
    — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Symptoms begin two days to two weeks after exposure and include watery diarrhea, fatigue and loss of appetite.
    — Youri Benadjaoud, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of fatigue
Noun
  • That’s partly thanks to Holland, a smart, sensitive actor who, inside a stretchy suit or not, takes his character’s emotional travails just seriously enough.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 28 July 2026
  • Visiting the facility, which Sara did every day, took hours, but the commute was the least of her travails.
    — Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 13 July 2026
Definition of travail
Noun
  • And in the late 1800s, after slavery’s end in the British islands, sugar was joined by another cash crop for which a market was fast emerging up north.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026
  • It was widely regarded as the beginning of African slavery in the United States.
    — USA Today, USA Today, 4 Aug. 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 15 Aug. 2026.

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