shovel-ready

adjective

shov·​el-ready ˈshə-vəl-ˌre-dē How to pronounce shovel-ready (audio)
of a construction project or site
: ready for the start of work

Examples of shovel-ready in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The lagoon project could be shovel-ready in another year or two, but so far no money has been allocated for construction, estimated in 2019 to be more than $80 million. Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2024 One proposal calls for funneling another $100 million to the state water board to disperse for shovel-ready projects. Susan Montoya Bryan, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2024 If approved by the City Council, ICM will receive an award of at least $100,000 and will continue to work on a final design to be shovel-ready by the fall of 2025. Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Jan. 2024 In Elliott’s case, that includes utilizing unspent ARPA funds on shovel-ready projects within his district. John Sharp | Jsharp@al.com, al, 4 Sep. 2023 Those states acted sooner than Oregon and each offered billions of dollars in incentives and hundreds of acres of shovel-ready industrial land. Mike Rogoway | Mrogoway@oregonian.com, oregonlive, 25 June 2023 The winning team will receive an award of at least $100,000 and will continue to work on a final design to be shovel-ready by fall of 2025. Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2023 Lack of shovel-ready plans and poorly executed funding applications seem to have played a role in the feds’ rejection of the Cape bridges and MassPike requests. Larry Edelman, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Mar. 2023 That’s probably because the initial burst of applications consisted largely of shovel-ready projects that just needed funding, said Bruce Reznik, executive director of L.A. Waterkeeper. Hayley Smithstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shovel-ready.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1995, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of shovel-ready was in 1995

Dictionary Entries Near shovel-ready

Cite this Entry

“Shovel-ready.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shovel-ready. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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