trowel

[ trou-uhl ]

See synonyms for: trowel troweled troweling trowelled on Thesaurus.com

noun

any of various tools having a flat blade with a handle, used for depositing and working mortar, plaster, etc.
a similar tool with a curved, scooplike blade, used in gardening for taking up plants, turning up earth, etc.

verb (used with object),trow·eled, trow·el·ing or (especially British) trow·elled, trow·el·ling.

to apply, shape, smooth, or dig with or as if with a trowel.

Origin of trowel

1300–50; Middle English <Old French truelle<Late Latin truella, equivalent to Latin tru(a) ladle + -ella-elle

Other words from trowel

trow·el·er; especially British, trow·el·ler, noun

Words Nearby trowel

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use trowel in a sentence

By January 1836, the American Monthly Magazine reported, “the click of trowels is already heard among the half-cooled bricks, and the dust of mortar is even now mingling with the smoke from the still shouldering ruins.”
The Great Fire of 1835 Helped Create Modern New York City | Daniel S. Levy | March 11, 2022 | Time
Jarvis, as well as two people who work at the company you hired to install the planks in your second bedroom, all looked at the picture and said they are fairly certain the culprit is trowel marks under the planks.
How to get rid of lumps in vinyl flooring | Jeanne Huber | January 17, 2022 | Washington Post
Having a sturdy trowel can be a huge help with that last one.
The best trowels for your on the go needs | PopSci Commerce Team | January 20, 2021 | Popular-Science
You want to find a trowel that is lightweight, portable, and can handle any terrain without damage.
The best trowels for your on the go needs | PopSci Commerce Team | January 20, 2021 | Popular-Science
A heavy trowel is used to retrieve a mass of your chosen kind of ice cream from its tub and put it in the cardboard container.
Dr. Mike’s Makes the Best Ice Cream on Earth | Jane & Michael Stern | July 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

I got a trowel, and we planted the withered trilliums in partial shade between the maples and the pines, and gave them water.
The Idyl of Twin Fires | Walter Prichard Eaton
He found the trowel under the fence, as Gardener Jim had prophesied, and he worked all day, with a brief nooning at home.
Country Neighbors | Alice Brown
Sophy disappeared into the house, and came out again, hurriedly, with a trowel in her hand.
Country Neighbors | Alice Brown
trowel and spade and tomahawk went furiously to work, and soon cleared away the gravel from a surface of three or four feet.
It Is Never Too Late to Mend | Charles Reade
The cement can be forced into place with the hands and then surfaced with a trowel.
Elements of Plumbing | Samuel Dibble

British Dictionary definitions for trowel

trowel

/ (ˈtraʊəl) /

noun

any of various small hand tools having a flat metal blade attached to a handle, used for scooping or spreading plaster or similar materials
a similar tool with a curved blade used by gardeners for lifting plants, etc

verb-els, -elling or -elled or US -els, -eling or -eled

(tr) to use a trowel on (plaster, soil, etc)

Origin of trowel

C14: from Old French truele, from Latin trulla a scoop, from trua a stirring spoon

Derived forms of trowel

troweller or US troweler, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with trowel

trowel

see under lay it on thick.

Browse