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
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.
Per the current listing, the site is now vacant and shovel-ready for building out a seven-bedroom, seven-plus-bath behemoth, all connected by a private elevator. — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 31 Aug. 2026 Power becomes the bottleneck NVIDIA says the need for powered, shovel-ready sites is becoming critical as computing demand increases. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2026 In California, where the financial details of housing projects are public records, the funding remains highly competitive, with more than half of shovel-ready applications being turned away because demand exceeds available funding. — Rob Davis, ProPublica, 21 Aug. 2026 Sam Wolfe | Bloomberg | Getty Images The Palmetto State is going all-in on shovel-ready sites. — Scott Cohn, CNBC, 9 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for shovel-ready

Word History

First Known Use

1995, in the meaning defined above

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

Rhymes for shovel-ready

See All Rhymes for shovel-ready

Browse Nearby Words

shovel plow
shovel-ready
shovel-tusker
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shovel-ready.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shovel-ready. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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