Illustration of trowel
- 1 gardener's
- 2 plasterer's
- 3 bricklayer's
trowel
1 of 2noun
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
trowel
2 of 2verb
troweled or trowelled; troweling or trowelling
transitive verb
: to smooth, mix, or apply with or as if with a trowel
troweler noun
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
Sophie Flaxman, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Aug. 2022 Keep a bag of kitty litter nearby, along with a cheap trowel ($3) for scooping it into the bucket after each use, extra toilet paper, and hand sanitizer. Matt Jancer, Wired, 12 June 2022 Stick your finger into the soil, dig down with a trowel, or use a soil probe to see how deep the water has gone. Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 July 2022 The schmaltz is applied with a trowel in depicting his relationship with the briskly efficient Marge, who admires her husband’s brain but has lately been craving a little more romance. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 June 2022 Likens usually keeps a kit with a trowel, toilet paper, and hand sanitizer. Hannah Singleton, SELF, 8 June 2022 Her principal utensil is a knife, but in a sense, Melanie Kehoss also uses a trowel. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 3 June 2022 Apply the adhesive using a 3/16-inch trowel, working on one side of your layout’s centerline, closest to the countertop. Sal Vaglica, USA TODAY, 8 May 2022 The two use a trowel to scrape up rock and dirt, and then a small brush to dust off the pieces removed from the hole that’s been dug there. Elena Bruess, San Antonio Express-News, 2 May 2022 Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 2 Jan. 2020 Cleverly, though, the movie’s writer, series creator Julian Fellowes, finds an unexpected new layer to trowel onto all the displacement angst. BostonGlobe.com, 18 Sep. 2019 The indoor-outdoor floor plan feels light and airy with white oak floors, troweled plaster walls and high ceilings. Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2019 Jay Longino’s screenplay lards all the hoop action and comedy with troweled-on sentimentality and even a little romance — a little in this case still being too much. Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 27 June 2018 The treatment also distinguishes the living room from the dining area and contrasts with the troweled-concrete floor. Marni Elyse Katz, BostonGlobe.com, 15 June 2018 Rooms feature both Oaxacan tiles and troweled concrete. Jennifer Fernandez, WSJ, 8 June 2018 Drywall will be thinner and more uniform than plaster, which is usually troweled right up to the electrical box. Timothy Dahl, Popular Mechanics, 7 Feb. 2018 In addition to Chip and Jo painting the antiquarian island, the couple also finished the Romanesque cabinet by troweling a hard slab of concrete on top. Michelle Darrisaw, Southern Living, 13 Oct. 2017 See More
Noun
Skip trowel wall texture has a distressed and uneven finish suited to a rustic and rural decor. Sophie Flaxman, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Aug. 2022 Keep a bag of kitty litter nearby, along with a cheap trowel ($3) for scooping it into the bucket after each use, extra toilet paper, and hand sanitizer. Matt Jancer, Wired, 12 June 2022 Stick your finger into the soil, dig down with a trowel, or use a soil probe to see how deep the water has gone. Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 July 2022 The schmaltz is applied with a trowel in depicting his relationship with the briskly efficient Marge, who admires her husband’s brain but has lately been craving a little more romance. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 June 2022 Likens usually keeps a kit with a trowel, toilet paper, and hand sanitizer. Hannah Singleton, SELF, 8 June 2022 Her principal utensil is a knife, but in a sense, Melanie Kehoss also uses a trowel. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 3 June 2022 Apply the adhesive using a 3/16-inch trowel, working on one side of your layout’s centerline, closest to the countertop. Sal Vaglica, USA TODAY, 8 May 2022 The two use a trowel to scrape up rock and dirt, and then a small brush to dust off the pieces removed from the hole that’s been dug there. Elena Bruess, San Antonio Express-News, 2 May 2022 Verb
Refractory Cement, Brick: Rutland Fire Clay Black Furnace Cement was troweled into the sink to protect it. Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 2 Jan. 2020 Cleverly, though, the movie’s writer, series creator Julian Fellowes, finds an unexpected new layer to trowel onto all the displacement angst. BostonGlobe.com, 18 Sep. 2019 The indoor-outdoor floor plan feels light and airy with white oak floors, troweled plaster walls and high ceilings. Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2019 Jay Longino’s screenplay lards all the hoop action and comedy with troweled-on sentimentality and even a little romance — a little in this case still being too much. Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 27 June 2018 The treatment also distinguishes the living room from the dining area and contrasts with the troweled-concrete floor. Marni Elyse Katz, BostonGlobe.com, 15 June 2018 Rooms feature both Oaxacan tiles and troweled concrete. Jennifer Fernandez, WSJ, 8 June 2018 Drywall will be thinner and more uniform than plaster, which is usually troweled right up to the electrical box. Timothy Dahl, Popular Mechanics, 7 Feb. 2018 In addition to Chip and Jo painting the antiquarian island, the couple also finished the Romanesque cabinet by troweling a hard slab of concrete on top. Michelle Darrisaw, Southern Living, 13 Oct. 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English truel, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin truella, from Latin trulla ladle
First Known Use
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined above
Verb
circa 1670, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
trowel
noun
trow·el ˈtrau̇-əl
1
: a small hand tool with a flat blade used for spreading and smoothing mortar or plaster
2
: a small hand tool with a curved blade used by gardeners