a hand tool for lifting loose material; consists of a curved container or scoop and a handle
"After clearing the walkway, I used my shovel to lift the pile of wet leaves into the compost bin."
a fire iron consisting of a small shovel used to scoop coals or ashes in a fireplace
"He grabbed the tiny shovel from the hearth grate to sweep up the cold embers before poking them back into life."
a machine for excavating
"The construction crew deployed a massive shovel to clear the entire foundation site in just two hours."
A hand tool with a handle, used for moving portions of material such as earth, snow, and grain from one place to another, with some forms also used for digging. Not to be confused with a spade, which is designed solely for small-scale digging and incidental tasks such as chopping of small roots.
"After the blizzard cleared, we all grabbed our shovels to pile the deep snow into large drifts along the driveway."
dig with or as if with a shovel
"shovel sand"
"he shovelled in the backyard all afternoon long"
To move materials with a shovel.
"After the storm, we had to use shovels to clear the deep snow from our driveway."