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
John Otis, NPR, 27 May 2025
In flowerbeds and gardens, hand-removal with a trowel will work.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 22 May 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
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Noun
In a first for Colombia three former army soldiers, wearing white protective suits and armed with trowels and buckets, spent 10 days alongside forensic experts excavating dirt, removing bones and bits of clothing, and bagging up the remains of people killed during the war.
—John Otis, NPR, 27 May 2025
In flowerbeds and gardens, hand-removal with a trowel will work.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 22 May 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 5 Jun. 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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