Pretty soon along came a steam shovel and dug a road through the hill covered with daisies.
Source: tatoeba (50805)
Shovel
/ˈʃʌv.əl/
Synonyms for "shovel" (79 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: excavator, backhoe, bail, bar spade, bore.
- Sentence evidence is available for shovel, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "shovel".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "shovel"
Keep "shovel" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "shovel" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "shovel", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "shovel" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
12 entriescontainerfulcut intodelvedigfire irongarden toolhand toolheavy equipmentmachinemanual laborphysical actionturn over
More specific
7 entriescoal shovelearth diggingelectric shovelsand excavationsnow removalsnow shovelsteam shovel
Collocations
8 entriescoal shovelgarden shovelhand shovelheavy shovelpower shovelsnow shovelsteam shovelsteel shovel
Inflections
5 entriesDerivations
1 entriesSample sentences
19 total sentences available.
They were clearing the snow from the sidewalk with a shovel.
Source: tatoeba (307528)
The Germans have an inhuman way of cutting up their verbs. Now a verb has a hard time enough of it in this world when it's all together. It's downright inhuman to split it up. But that's just what those Germans do. They take part of a verb and put it down here, like a stake, and they take the other part of it and put it away over yonder like another stake, and between these two limits they just shovel in German.
Source: tatoeba (552745)
Throw the shovel!
Source: tatoeba (973744)
Showing 4 of 19 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "shovel"?
Closest matches include excavator, backhoe, bail, bar spade, bore.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "shovel"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.