Home › Words › S › spadeworkspadeworkspadework means work done by digging with a spade.Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, spadework ranks #3,412 of 42,747 for Qualifying.EtymologyFrom spade + work.nounWork done by digging with a spade.Work done in preparation for something else.e.g.“There's a lot of spadework to be done before the scheme can be implemented.”Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).Words closest in meaningBy meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.spadeworker 79% match — One who does spadework, now especially in the figurative sense of preparatory work. vs spadework →spading 79% match — The act by which soil is spaded, or turned over by digging. vs spadework →spadeful 68% match — The amount held or moved by a spade at once. vs spadework →spadesman 68% match — A man who uses a spade or shovel. vs spadework →spuddle 66% match — To loosen and dig up stubble and weeds left after a harvest with a broadshare or similar device. vs spadework →scuffle 63% match — A rough, disorderly fight or struggle at close quarters. vs spadework →spitful 60% match — A spadeful. vs spadework →spadewise 60% match — In the style of a spade. vs spadework →