shov·el
(shŭv́əl)
[Middle English, from Old English scofl.]
noun
- A tool with a handle and a broad scoop or blade for digging and moving material, such as dirt or snow.
- A large mechanical device or vehicle for heavy digging or excavation.
- The amount that a shovel can hold; a shovelful: One shovel of dirt.
verb: -eled, also -elled, -el·ing, -el·ling, -els, -els
transitive verb
- To move or remove with a shovel.
- To make with a shovel: shoveled a path through the snow.
- To convey or throw in a rough or hasty way, as if with a shovel: He shoveled the food into his mouth.
- To clear or excavate with or as if with a shovel: shoveling off the driveway after the snowstorm; shovels out the hall closet once a year.
intransitive verb
- To dig or work with a shovel.
