Illustration of trowel
- 1 gardener's
- 2 plasterer's
- 3 bricklayer's
trow·el
ˈtrau̇(-ə)l 
: any of various hand tools used to apply, spread, shape, or smooth loose or plastic material
also
: a scoop-shaped or flat-bladed garden tool for taking up and setting small plants
troweled or trowelled; troweling or trowelling
: to smooth, mix, or apply with or as if with a trowel
troweler
noun
Examples of trowel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2025
Usually, archaeologists make bombshell discoveries when a trowel hits a skull or other telltale bone in the confines of a cave.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 24 Jan. 2025
Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Sep. 2024
Drywall will be thinner and more uniform than plaster, which is usually troweled right up to the electrical box.
—Timothy Dahl, Popular Mechanics, 21 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for trowel
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Noun
The oatmeal color looks about right and when Risa picks at it with her trowel, the surrounding black and gray debris falls away, revealing the rough outline of a box’s edge.
—David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2025
Usually, archaeologists make bombshell discoveries when a trowel hits a skull or other telltale bone in the confines of a cave.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 24 Jan. 2025
Verb
Andrew’s bumbling nature is done no favors by the padded suits and troweled makeup that never really transform Sheen, but abet the actor’s semi-comic approach.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Sep. 2024
Drywall will be thinner and more uniform than plaster, which is usually troweled right up to the electrical box.
—Timothy Dahl, Popular Mechanics, 21 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for trowel
Cite this Entry
“Trowel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trowel. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
trowel
1 of 2 noun
trow·el
ˈtrau̇(-ə)l
1
: a small hand tool consisting of a flat blade with a handle used for spreading and smoothing mortar or plaster
2
: a small hand tool with a curved blade used by gardeners
trowel
2 of 2 verb
troweled or trowelled; troweling or trowelling
: to smooth, mix, or apply with a trowel
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