spade

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A year later, President Lyndon B. Johnson broke ground for what was to become “a living memorial to John F. Kennedy” with the gold-plated spade that President Taft had used for the Lincoln Memorial.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2026

The Trump Administration can rely on intellectual spade work from Sen. Roger Wicker, and many of the ideas we’ve discussed here are in the next defense authorization bill.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 16, 2025

"It could, arguably, be a spade - but I think it more strongly resembles a spear, the symbol that appears in Shakespeare's coat of arms."

From BBC • Sep. 8, 2025

The investment firm thinks Tesla will manage through its Musk-related branding problems and its stock will rebound, but it calls a spade a spade.

From Slate • Mar. 4, 2025

The head of the spade was well and truly buried.

From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park