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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 On summer breaks from university, Gilmore also worked at the port, painting buildings, shoveling coal on a steamship and crewing on harbor boats. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 11 June 2026 Spielberg didn’t film those terrifying closeups of the shark – like when Jaws pops up as Brody is shoveling the bloody chump slick in the water — until Day 92. — Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 22 June 2026 Quasars are the extremely active supermassive black holes at the heart of some galaxies, furiously feeding on gas that is being shoveled towards their maw, and growing as a result of this voracious feeding. — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 12 June 2026 Since arriving Wednesday in La Guaira, Sosa has scrambled to pull people from the rubble with his old mining pickaxe and shovel in the absence of national rescue teams. — Juan Pablo Arraez, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for shovel

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shovel

Verb

Elsewhere, residents have resorted to digging cesspits as latrine stocks run severely low, leading to soil and water contamination, according to Hosni Nadeem Mohanna, a water municipality spokesperson in Gaza City.

— Sana Noor Haq, CNN Money, 5 July 2026
With the top teams digging deeper into the benches for late playoff runs, developing young players has never been more important.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026

Definition of dig

Verb

The crash site was forest in 1944, but it was later excavated for rice cultivation, Fong told Jackson.

— Kocha Olarn, CNN Money, 1 July 2026
While Freddy was in Boston mourning Germany’s defeat, online sleuths excavated the least-savory tidbits from his X posting history.

— Will Oremus, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026

Definition of excavate

Browse Nearby Words

shoved (off)

shovel

shoveled

See all Nearby Words

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Style

“Shovel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shovel. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of shovel

verb

Example Sentences

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