1 B1 neutral
To gather or lift material (earth, snow, debris, manure) using a shovel
"He spent the morning shovelling up the horse manure from the stable floor."
separable
shovel up
B2 neutral separable transitive
To gather or collect material using a shovel, lifting it upward
In plain English
To pick up something heavy and messy with a shovel
What does "shovel up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic informal
To eat or consume large amounts of food quickly and greedily (informal, figurative)
"He was shovelling up noodles straight from the pot without even sitting down."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To use a shovel to lift material upward — fully transparent
Actually means
To pick up something heavy and messy with a shovel
Usage tip
Used in practical, physical contexts: gardening, construction, cleaning up after animals, clearing snow. Less commonly used figuratively. Fairly transparent and literal.
Words that pair with "shovel up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
dirt manure gravel snow debris coal sand
How to conjugate "shovel up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
shovel up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
shovels up
he/she/it
Past simple
shoveled up
yesterday
Past participle
shoveled up
have + pp
-ing form
shoveling up
continuous
Hear "shovel up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "shovel up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.