spade

/speɪd/
noun
  1. A tool with a flat blade and a long handle, used for digging in soil.
    • I need to buy a sturdy spade for the vegetable garden.
    • He used a spade to dig a hole for the new tree.
    • The gardener leaned on his spade and wiped his forehead.
  2. A black symbol shaped like a pointed leaf with a short stem, used on playing cards to represent one of the four suits.
    • He held five spades in his hand, so he bid four spades.
    • She played the ace of spades and won the trick.
    • In a standard deck, spades are one of the four suits.
  3. A playing card of the suit marked with black spade symbols.
    • She needed just one more spade to complete her flush.
    • He drew a spade from the deck and smiled.
    • The queen of spades is often considered a powerful card.
Synonyms
verb
  1. To dig or turn over soil with a spade.
    • They spaded the garden bed before planting the seeds.
    • He spent the morning spading the backyard for a new flower bed.
    • The farmer spaded the field by hand because the tractor was broken.