spade Synonyms & Antonyms
Choose a meaning, then find a word that fits your sentence.
Spade as a Noun
A garden tool with a handle and a flat blade for digging. Not to be confused with a shovel which is used for moving earth or other materials.
A cutting instrument used in flensing a whale.
A device for terminating an electrical conductor resembling a small spade.
A playing card marked with the symbol ♠.
I've got only one spade in my hand.
A black person.
↑ Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “spade (n.2)”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
A hart or stag three years old.
A castrated man or animal.
Spade as a Verb
To turn over soil with a spade to loosen the ground for planting.
To move with a spade, or as with a spade.
simple past and past participle of spay
Spade in a Sentence
I've got only one spade in my hand.
Word Forms & Grammar
spade (plural spades)
spade (third-person singular simple present spades, present participle spading, simple past and past participle spaded)
spade
Words That Rhyme With Spade
Origin of Spade
Origin 1: From Middle English spade, from Old English spada, spade, spadu (“spade”), from Proto-Germanic *spadô. Doublet of spatha, spathe, and épée.
Origin 2: Probably from Italian spade, plural of spada (“the ace of spades”, literally “sword, spade”), from earlier *spata, from Latin spatha, from Ancient Greek σπᾰ́θη (spắthē). Cognate with Etymology 1. So called for the shape, though what the shape was exactly meant to represent has been debated.[1]
Quick Facts About Spade
| Part of speech | noun, verb |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /speɪ̯d/ |
| Meaning | A garden tool with a handle and a flat blade for digging. Not to be confused with a shovel which is used for… |
| Plural | spades |
| Verb forms | spades, spading, spaded |
Spade: Your Questions Answered
Is spade a noun or a verb?
Spade is mainly used as a noun, but it can also be used as a verb.
What is the plural of spade?
The plural of spade is spades.
What is the past tense of spade?
The past tense of spade is spaded. The present participle is spading.