SHOVELING Synonyms: 14 Similar and Opposite Words

shoveling

verb

variants or shovelling

present participle of shovel

as in digging

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

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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 shoveling This can include flattening the hill, raking or shoveling the mound, or even using a garden hose to flood the area. — Cori Sears, The Spruce, 4 June 2026 With the work now being migration, most programs are still shoveling, counting tasks and missing the structure. — Maman Ibrahim, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 Hart recovered a loose ball and started driving to the goal before shoveling a pass to Anunoby, who had gathered himself. — Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 7 May 2026 In the medieval town of Belvì, men roast chestnuts—marroni—over an open fire in a frying pan the size of a swimming pool and then serve them to the crowd by shoveling them into troughs. — IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 2026 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 On summer breaks from university, Gilmore also worked at the port, painting buildings, shoveling coal on a steamship and crewing on harbor boats. — Bloomberg, Oc Register, 10 June 2026 Many of them include educational programs and things for kids to do, keeping them occupied if parents are shoveling compost. — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoveling

Verb

Messi was trying to get a ball away from an Algerian player when he was seen digging his cleat into the back of the player’s calf.

— Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026
Masks are still prohibited during firefighters’ most grueling tasks — digging lines to stop fires and directly attacking flames.

— Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026

Definition of digging

Verb

Investigators later conducted a second search warrant operation on June 23 that included excavating portions of the property for evidence of dogs buried in mass graves.

— Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 30 June 2026
Systematic study did not come until the 1930s, when 16-year-old John Goggin began formally surveying and excavating sites from Snapper Creek to Surfside, in the Keys and the Glades as part of a program at Yale.

— Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026

Definition of excavating

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shoveled

shoveling

shovels

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

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Synonyms of shoveling

verb

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