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
  • Researchers began this effort in 2025, taking cell samples from deceased golden wild yaks and transplanting clone embryos into surrogate mothers.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
  • For Greece, the investment is part of a broader effort to modernize its armed forces and enhance deterrence capabilities in a region marked by persistent security concerns.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 July 2026
Definition of effort
Noun
  • 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
  • The gods themselves are also an unnerving presence, omnipresent beings of colossal power who see humans as their playthings and view Ulysses' toils as some twisted spectator sport.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of toil
Noun
  • Many leaders are rightly enthusiastic about how AI can help reduce burnout, eliminate drudgery and free people up for more meaningful work.
    — Carrie Varoquiers, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • Sea Rangers offer a Swiss Army knife’s dexterity, pursuing government contracts across the European Union and United Kingdom to tackle the tedium of climate compliance and the drudgery of clearing those backlogs.
    — Richard Morgan, Time, 29 June 2026
Definition of drudgery
Noun
  • The fever and the less intense strain often presents as a headache, fever, muscle and joint aches, nausea, and fatigue.
    — Mary Ella Hastings July 24, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 July 2026
  • Subscription fatigue is real and only getting worse; according to a 2023 Harvard Business School study, nearly 75% of consumer-facing companies offer some form of subscription service.
    — Bee Wertheimer, PC Magazine, 24 July 2026
Definition of fatigue
Noun
  • 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
  • Another young woman named Maurine Dallas Watkins reported Annan’s expedited travails through Cook County’s legal system for the Tribune.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2026
Definition of travail
Noun
  • This document shows what a national decision on slavery in one of the world’s biggest empires at the time could mean for other territories.
    — Kaitlyn Harvey, AJC.com, 23 July 2026
  • Under the 1866 treaty, the tribe abolished slavery and granted citizenship to the formerly enslaved.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 July 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 1 Aug. 2026.

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