shovel
9
3.9
- noun
- /ˈʃʌvəl/
- Specialized
:
excavadora
- We drove out to a gravel pit in a dry streambed, took giant shovels, and filled the bed of the truck with gravel.
Examples
-
Inside the guarded circle, the air rang loud with the busy tumult of picks and shovels.
Fiction book (1991) -
Today, trucks, shovels, and bucket wheel excavators are used instead, which means two things:
Blog text (9) -
No, it's a snow shovel.
-
The way I feel this morning I'll need a steam shovel.
-
Do not pry with your shovel against the root ball.
Blog text (31) -
Shovel asphalt for the highway department.
-
Remember, the Panama Canal was built with coal-fired steam shovels and coal-fired locomotives.
Blog text (32) -
Now here was Guadalupe Hill crawling with steam shovels and dump trucks, men shouting, steam screeching, whistles, bells.
Blog text (17) -
The workers used a shovel to dig a deep trench for the foundation of the building.
-
During winter, many people had to grab a shovel to clear snow off their driveways.
Synonyms
61
3.1
A large, heavy machine with a front blade that pushes dirt and debris
24
3.4
A machine with a large bucket that digs and moves soil
13
4.9
A machine that digs with a long arm and a bucket
5
4.0
A large machine with a long arm and bucket that digs and moves earth
2
5.7
A large machine with a bucket that digs and moves earth in construction and mining
1
4.2
A large machine that moves soil and rock at construction sites
1
4.1
A large machine with a bucket that digs and moves earth
1
3.5
Machines like diggers and bulldozers that dig and move soil at building or mine sites
A large deep bucket on a machine used to lift and move dirt
A tool or machine that digs and turns soil for gardening
Compounds
- Archaic
2
5.7
A large machine with a bucket that digs and moves earth in construction and mining
- Archaic
A game where players slide coins or discs across a long smooth board to reach a target for points
- Archaic
A stiff hat with a wide brim and a front that sticks out often worn by church priests
How Big
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word shovel was later used for big machines because they do the same 'scooping' action as a hand shovel. That's why a large digging machine is called a shovel — it scoops up earth like the smaller tool.