spadeworks

noun

plural of spadework
as in donkeyworks

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for spadeworks
  1. toils
  2. fatigues
  3. efforts
  4. drudgeries
Noun
  • 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
  • There has to be a chance that Jos Buttler’s toils in Sri Lanka and India represent his last ventures on the international stage, and therefore the end of an era.
    — Paul Newman, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Definition of toils
Noun
  • Spatola stepped out of fatigues and back on to the hardwood as an assistant coach for Duke basketball between 2007 and 2012.
    — David K. Li, NBC news, 23 Sep. 2026
  • But unlike actual fatigues, this is cut to drape just right in all the right places and is clean of any distressing and patches.
    — Alison Syrett Cleary, InStyle, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of fatigues
Noun
  • The force, which rose to a peak of about 5,000 troops over the summer, has supported arrest operations, patrolled city streets and neighborhoods, and participated in cleanup efforts.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The coffee shop is going to be the training ground for the organization’s new Latte Life Academy, which will be part of the nonprofit’s workforce training efforts.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of efforts
Noun
  • Aesthetic experiences were here not reserved for museums or the elite, but folded in along with daily drudgeries.
    — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Your inner lover girl is dying for some time in the sun, for a vacation from your usual drudgeries.
    — Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Jan. 2026
Definition of drudgeries
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.

Browse Nearby Words

spadework
spadeworks
spading
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Cite this Entry

“Spadeworks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spadeworks. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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