spade

spade — noun

1. a hand tool made for garden work, with a flat metal blade attached to a long woo

1.nounA2
Definition

a hand tool made for garden work, with a flat metal blade attached to a long wooden or plastic handle; you step on the top of the blade to push it into the earth when digging or turning soil

Example

Takeshi grabbed the old spade from the shed and dug a hole for the rose bush.

collocation: grab a spade / dig a hole with a spade

The farmer pushed the blade of his spade into the dry soil with his boot.

collocation: blade of a spade; push a spade with your foot

Common collocations
  • blade of a spade
  • handle of a spade
  • dig with a spade
  • push a spade (into the ground)
  • grab a spade
  • garden spade
Synonyms
  • shovel

    a shovel has a curved blade with raised sides and is better for moving loose material; a spade has a flat blade and is better for cutting into soil

  • trowel

    a much smaller hand tool for digging in pots or small garden spaces

2. the set of playing cards marked with a black pointed symbol that narrows at the

2.nounB1
Definition

the set of playing cards marked with a black pointed symbol that narrows at the base; in many traditional games this suit outranks hearts and clubs

Example

In the game of bridge, spades are ranked higher than hearts or clubs.

collocation: spades are ranked higher than [other suit]

Hamza drew the queen of diamonds, but his partner held the ace of spades.

Common collocations
  • suit of spades
  • ace / king / queen / jack of spades
  • spades are trump
  • lead spades
  • bid spades

Usage Note

Used with a singular verb when referring to the suit as a group ('Spades is the strongest suit'). When referring to individual cards, use plural verb forms ('Spades are trump tonight').

3. a single card from the spades suit, marked with the black pointed-leaf design th

3.nounA2
Definition

a single card from the spades suit, marked with the black pointed-leaf design that belongs to that group

Example

Liam played a low spade and hoped nobody would win the trick with a higher one.

collocation: play a spade; win a trick

The dealer gave Ritu three spades and two hearts, so she knew she had a strong hand.

Common collocations
  • play a spade
  • hold / have a spade
  • ace / king / queen / jack / ten / five / two of spades
  • lead a spade
  • discard a spade

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 2 (CARD SUIT): this sense refers to an individual card, not the suit as a category. For example, 'I have three spades' means three individual cards; 'Spades are trump' refers to the whole suit.

4. an extremely offensive and racist word used to refer to a Black person; its use

4.noun
Definition

an extremely offensive and racist word used to refer to a Black person; its use is considered hate speech in most contexts and is never acceptable in any civil conversation

Example

The speaker called a Black audience member a spade and was escorted out by security.

used as a racial insult; demonstrates unacceptable usage

Kwame's rival called him a spade on radio; the station apologised the next day.

Usage Note

WARNING: This is one of the most offensive racial slurs in English. It is a hateful derogatory term for Black people and must never be used. Even quoting this word in conversation can cause deep offense. In most dictionaries it is labelled as 'taboo', 'offensive', or 'derogatory'. Unlike the other senses of 'spade', which are neutral everyday words, this sense is a racial slur with no acceptable use in any context. Learners should be aware of its existence only to avoid accidentally causing offense or to understand why it is considered abusive. Do NOT use this word to refer to a person.

Common Mistakes

A spade walked into the room.
A Black man walked into the room.
Using 'spade' to refer to a Black person is an extremely offensive racial slur and should never be used.
Idioms

call a spade a spade

idiom

to speak honestly and directly about something, even if the truth is unpleasant or blunt

Felix is not afraid to call a spade a spade; he told the board that their plan was simply not good enough.

Let us call a spade a spade here — this project failed because nobody checked the numbers.

in spades

idiom

in large amounts or to a very great degree

Tamar has the talent for music in spades; she can play three instruments by ear.

The sequel delivered suspense in spades, keeping the audience on edge throughout the film.

spade — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Spade, shovel, and trowel are all digging tools, but they differ in shape and use. A spade has a long handle and a flat, rectangular blade that you push into the ground with your foot — it is made for cutting into soil and digging neat holes. A shovel has a curved, scoop-shaped blade with raised edges, designed for moving loose material such as gravel, snow, or sand. A trowel is a small hand-held tool with a pointed blade, used for planting in pots, transplanting seedlings, or working in tight garden spaces. If you are digging a hole for a fence post, use a spade. If you are moving a pile of dirt, use a shovel. If you are repotting a houseplant, use a trowel.

spade ↗shovel ↗trowel

Common collocations

Phrases

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

The word 'spade' comes from Old English 'spadu', meaning a digging tool, which traces back through Proto-Germanic 'spadō' to an ancient Indo-European root meaning 'to cut' or 'to split' (related to Greek 'spathe' meaning a broad blade). The card-suit meaning appeared in the 1590s, borrowed from Italian 'spada' ('sword', referring to the sword-shaped symbol on Spanish and Italian playing cards). The two meanings — garden tool and playing-card symbol — are historically unrelated, though they happen to share the same spelling in English. The racial slur use emerged in the 1920s in American English and is not connected to either the tool or the card sense.