shovel

shov·el Audio Help (shŭv'əl)

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.

v. shov·eled also shov·elled, shov·el·ing also shov·el·ling, shov·els also shov·els

v. tr.

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.

v. intr.
To dig or work with a shovel.

[Middle English, from Old English scofl.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
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