What does shovelling mean?
Shovelling means moving snow, earth, coal, sand, or another loose substance with a shovel. The word can also describe the activity itself: after a heavy snowfall, residents may be occupied with shovelling paths and driveways. In figurative use, shovelling money means spending, transferring, or investing a large sum, sometimes with the implication of haste or extravagance. These meanings share an image of material being moved in bulk by a broad blade. The expression is common in both British and American English, although British spelling has two l's, as in shovelling, while American spelling normally has one, as in shoveling. Shovelling is especially useful when an action is repetitive, physical, and substantial, or when an unusually large amount of money is being committed. It can therefore convey effort, scale, or conspicuous expenditure more vividly than a neutral verb such as moving or providing.
To move or clear material with a shovel; figuratively, to spend or provide a large amount of money.
"They spent hours shovelling mud from the blocked drain."
The figurative use commonly appears with money, funds, or resources.
The activity of moving material with a shovel, especially snow, soil, or other loose substances.
"Snow shovelling continued throughout the morning."
This is normally an uncountable gerund noun and is especially associated with clearing snow.
The noun use is normally uncountable; a plural is unnecessary in ordinary usage.
"Snow shovelling was suspended during the storm."
From clearing snow to funding a project, shovelling turns a scoop of labour or cash into an image of hard, bulk work.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does shovelling come from?
Shovelling was formed by adding the present-participle and gerund ending -ing to the older word shovel. Shovel entered Middle English from Old English, where its ancestral form referred to a broad blade or scoop used for moving material. The word has Germanic ancestry and is related to forms in other Germanic languages that developed from the same Proto-Germanic root.
Related word forms
How shovelling is actually used
The physical sense is neutral, while the figurative sense often suggests large-scale spending, rapid expenditure, or an unusually large investment. British English normally spells the word with two l's; American English uses shoveling.
Easily confused with shovelling
Shoveling is the standard American spelling, while shovelling with two l's is the standard British spelling.