SHOVEL Synonyms: 14 Similar and Opposite Words

shovel

verb

Definition of shovel

as in to dig

to hollow out or form (something) by removing earth the troops quickly shoveled a trench

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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 shovel To punish and sustain Helaena, Rhaenyra has guards shovel lukewarm gruel down her throat. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026 Blücher, who eventually became a popular philosophy lecturer at Bard College, got a job shovelling chemicals in a New Jersey factory. — David Denby, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 There’s truly nothing like licking that paper lid, then shoveling that tiny tongue depressor into a child-sized serving of vanilla or chocolate ice cream. — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2026 When commercial extraction began in the 1840s, workers were not simply shoveling loose bird droppings. — Edward D. Melillo, Fortune, 27 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for shovel

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shovel

Verb

The outfit just hit Amazon, and shoppers are already digging it.

— Annie Blackman, InStyle, 29 Aug. 2026
Riaz Lodhi, country director for the World Food Programme in Nepal, said rescue workers are trying to dig people out of the mud and that the Nepalese government is deploying helicopters to help.

— Diaa Hadid, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of dig

Verb

Once the house is resting on I-beams, Craig and his crew excavate some more, to put hydraulic jacks under the beams.

— Nicola Twilley, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2026
An international team of roughly 60 researchers from 13 countries was excavating the site when the amulet was discovered.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of excavate

Browse Nearby Words

shoved (off)

shovel

shoveled

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Style

“Shovel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shovel. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of shovel

verb

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