steam shovel

noun

1. a machine for digging or excavating, operated by its own engine and boiler.

steam-shovel

noun

1. a steam-driven mechanical excavator, esp one having a large bucket or grab on a beam slung from a revolving jib

Word History and Origins

Origin of steam shovel¹

An Americanism dating back to 1875–80

Example Sentences

Under siege since the settlers arrived with their draglines and steam shovels and suction-pump dredges, the threats to the southern residents’ home waters have metastasized.

From Seattle Times

But his “aggressively belligerent characteristic” stuck with him after leaving the steam shovels in the Panama Canal, and he ended up in “almost constant controversies,” according to the obituary.

From Washington Times

Now an art world that McCarthy says is usually “moving like a steam shovel” has been stilled, the pandemic has offered a rare chance to look back over older work.

From The Guardian

Developers in the 1950s removed an undocumented number of remains by steam shovel, under the passive eyes of D.C. health inspectors.

From Washington Post

Many more intimate subjects — like polluting steam shovels and spraying water cannons — are also readily found in several of the photographs.

From Seattle Times