spadework

noun

Definition of spadeworknext
as in effort

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of spadework These aren’t fads or fancy frameworks, but rather daily spadework that cultivates a culture of collaborative excellence. — Doug Sundheim, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025 But the loss at the Mercedes plants will almost surely slow down the union’s campaign and probably force it to do more spadework to secure the support of workers before seeking to hold elections at other auto plants. — Jack Ewing, New York Times, 17 May 2024 In this peacemaking effort, the United States would have to do almost all the spadework. — Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Mar. 2024 Early spadework for the new batch of projects also dates back to the City of Cleveland’s 2004 Waterfront District Plan. — Steven Litt, cleveland, 26 Feb. 2022 See All Example Sentences for spadework
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spadework
  1. effort
  2. toil
  3. drudgery
  4. fatigue
  5. travail
  6. slavery
Noun
  • Despite continued life-saving efforts by first responders, the girl was pronounced dead before she could be airlifted to a hospital.
    — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Through a second-half offensive effort, the Dream outlasted the Seattle Storm in a 98-89 win Friday night.
    — Micahya Costen, AJC.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of effort
Noun
  • Outside, a group of tourists paused to watch her toil, then one read the restaurant sign near the door aloud.
    — Natalie B. Compton The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 19 July 2026
  • The gods themselves are also an unnerving presence, omnipresent beings of colossal power who see humans as their playthings and view Ulysses' toils as some twisted spectator sport.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of toil
Noun
  • In Pogacar, we are blessed with one of the most aggressive yellow jerseys in history, responsible for dragging cycling from the tactical drudgery of the 2010s.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • Many leaders are rightly enthusiastic about how AI can help reduce burnout, eliminate drudgery and free people up for more meaningful work.
    — Carrie Varoquiers, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of drudgery
Noun
  • But markets are showing signs of fatigue, after absorbing this flood of debt in such a short time, S&P warned, pointing out that hyperscalers are now paying a higher premium compared with yields on risk-free bonds.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 31 July 2026
  • The economic difficulties, energy blackouts, Internet restrictions, and general wartime fatigue have pushed Putin’s approval ratings from around 80 percent at the beginning of the year to 66 percent in mid-July.
    — Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 31 July 2026
Definition of fatigue
Noun
  • That’s partly thanks to Holland, a smart, sensitive actor who, inside a stretchy suit or not, takes his character’s emotional travails just seriously enough.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 28 July 2026
  • Visiting the facility, which Sara did every day, took hours, but the commute was the least of her travails.
    — Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 13 July 2026
Definition of travail
Noun
  • On the Eastern Plains near Manzanola, Alice Craig McDonald, 91, lives near the homestead her grandparents claimed after leaving Oklahoma by wagon in 1916 -- descendants of people born into slavery who came west looking for land of their own.
    — Anna Alejo, CBS News, 31 July 2026
  • Tracing the arc of American history, the Urban League describes Black Americans’ struggle for emancipation from slavery and equal economic and political rights as a gruesome but optimistic part of the American story.
    — Matt Brown, Fortune, 30 July 2026
Definition of slavery

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spades
spadework
spadeworks
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Cite this Entry

“Spadework.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spadework. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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