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spadeful
UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈspeɪdfʊl/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(spād′fŏŏl)
- Inflections of 'spadeful' (n):
- spadefuls
- npl
- spadesful
- npl
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026spade•ful
(spād′fŏŏl),USA pronunciation n., pl. -fuls. - the amount that can be dug out with or carried on a spade.
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026spade1 /speɪd/USA pronunciation
n., v., spad•ed, spad•ing. n. [countable]
- Buildinga tool for digging, having a long handle and a narrow metal blade that can be pressed into the ground with the foot.
v. [~ + object]
- to dig, cut, or remove with a spade.
Idioms
- Idioms call a spade a spade, to speak truthfully and bluntly:Let's call a spade a spade: I deserved that promotion and you didn't want me to have it.
spade•ful, n. [countable], pl. -fuls.
spade2 /speɪd/USA pronunciation
n.
- Games[countable] a black figure shaped like an upside-down heart with a short stem opposite the point, used on playing cards to mark a suit.
- Games[countable] a card of the suit bearing such figures.
- Games spades, the suit so marked: [uncountable; used with a singular verb]Spades has been dealt.[plural* used with a plural verb]Spades were led in the last hand.
- Slang Terms[countable](disparaging and offensive). a black person.
Idioms
- Idioms in spades, [Informal.]
- in the extreme;
to the utmost:He's a hypocrite, in spades.
- without restraint:I told him what I thought of him, in spades.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026spade1
(spād),USA pronunciation n., v., spad•ed, spad•ing. n. - Buildinga tool for digging, having an iron blade adapted for pressing into the ground with the foot and a long handle commonly with a grip or crosspiece at the top, and with the blade usually narrower and flatter than that of a shovel.
- Buildingsome implement, piece, or part resembling this.
- Militarya sharp projection on the bottom of a gun trail, designed to dig into the earth to restrict backward movement of the carriage during recoil.
- call a spade a spade, to call something by its real name;
be candidly explicit;
speak plainly or bluntly:To call a spade a spade, he's a crook.
- Informal Terms in spades:
- in the extreme;
positively:He's a hypocrite, in spades.
- without restraint;
outspokenly:I told him what I thought, in spades.
v.t. - to dig, cut, or remove with a spade (sometimes fol. by up):Let's spade up the garden and plant some flowers.
- bef. 900; Middle English (noun, nominal); Old English spadu; cognate with Dutch spade, German Spaten, Old Norse spathi spade, Greek spáthē broad, flat piece of wood
- Gamesa black figure shaped like an inverted heart and with a short stem at the cusp opposite the point, used on playing cards.
- Gamesa card of the suit bearing such figures.
- Games spades:
- (used with a sing. or pl. v.) the suit so marked:Spades is trump. Spades count double.
- (used with a pl. v.) Casino. the winning of seven spades or more.
- Slang Terms(disparaging and offensive). a black person.
- Greek spáthē; see spade1
- Latin spatha
- Italian, plural of spada origin, originally, sword
- 1590–1600
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