How to Use mattock in a Sentence

mattock

noun
  • Use the ax head of a garden mattock to cut through the roots at the base of the stump.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2026
  • Use the ax head of a garden mattock to cut through the roots at the base of the stump.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 5 July 2026
  • Once the main roots have been severed, use the hoe end of the mattock and the shovel to loosen the soil and rock/pry/lift the stump out of the ground.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2026
  • Once the main roots have been severed, use the hoe end of the mattock and the shovel to loosen the soil and rock/pry/lift the stump out of the ground.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 5 July 2026
  • After severing the large roots, use a mattock or shovel to loosen soil for easier removal.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2026
  • After severing the large roots, use a mattock or shovel to loosen soil for easier removal.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 5 July 2026
  • The head of it has a double-sided, conical spike that’s shaped similarly to the pointy side of a mattock (but on a much smaller scale).
    — Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Digging means using a mattock or pickaxe to break apart the soil, a shovel to remove the soil, an axe or chainsaw to cut roots, and plenty of pushing and pulling to remove the stump.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 19 Jan. 2026

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

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