shovel
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A hand tool for lifting loose material.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
shuhvuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈʃʌvəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A hand tool for lifting loose material; consists of a curved container or scoop and a handle
A hand tool with a handle, used for moving portions of material such as earth, snow, and grain from one place to another, with some forms also used for digging. In strict usage differentiated from a spade, which is designed solely for small-scale digging and incidental tasks such as chopping of small roots.
especially USloosely
Any shovel in the above senses, or any spade.
A mechanical part of an excavator with a similar function.
A broad-brimmed style of hat, varying widely in detail, generally turned up at the sides and projecting in front like a shovel, formerly worn by some clergy in Britain, especially clergy of the Church of England.
verb
Dig with or as if with a shovel
To move materials with a shovel.
transitivefiguratively
To move with a shoveling motion.
Word at a Glance
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Formality
- Technical
More ways to use shovel
- “After the blizzard, we shoveled the driveway for the next two days.”verb
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Earn large sums of money.
A game in which coins or discs are slid by hand across a board toward a mark.
A stiff broad-brimmed hat with the brim turned up at the sides and projecting in front.
The shovel or bucket of a dredge or backhoe.
A hand shovel for shoveling coal.
A power shovel that is driven by steam.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Keep learning “shovel” by choosing the kind of practice you need next.
- Practice sentence writingWrite sentences with vocabulary and get instant feedback.
- Practice in contextAnswer short vocabulary questions drawn from real situations.
- Review vocabularyTest your recall and strengthen words over time.
- Practice typingType vocabulary in short rounds that draw from words you've learned and saved.
Want to type words like this one without looking at the keyboard? Each typing round draws from words you've learned, saved or need to review. Follow the free Learn to Type lessons and type your own vocabulary with confidence.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.