grub

1 of 2

verb

grubbed; grubbing

transitive verb

1
: to clear by digging up roots and stumps
2
: to dig up by or as if by the roots

intransitive verb

1
a
: to dig in the ground especially for something that is difficult to find or extract
b
: to search about
grubbed in the countryside for foodLamp
2
: toil, drudge
grubbing along at newspaper jobsWalter Kirn
grubber noun

grub

2 of 2

noun

1
: a soft thick wormlike larva of an insect (such as a beetle)
2
a
: one who does menial work : drudge
b
: a slovenly person
3
: food

Examples of grub in a Sentence

Verb Everyone was grubbing for whatever food they could find. students grubbing for better grades Noun Let's go get some grub. after the game, we headed to the diner for some hearty grub
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
So much of the story takes place firmly in and on the ground, whether its characters are grubbing around the countryside or descending six feet under. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 30 Mar. 2024 His bill is small, yet strong—perfect for grubbing about underwater for aquatic bugs, worms, snails, crayfish, and small mollusks. M.d. Johnson, Field & Stream, 30 Nov. 2023 Politics McCarthy’s vow to open Biden impeachment probe puts vulnerable California Republicans in a tough spot Sept. 12, 2023 His son Hunter, the subject of a special counsel investigation, may have shamelessly grubbed for money by trading on the family name. Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2023 Money-grubbing developers don’t care about residents. Mark Bisnow, Fortune, 27 Mar. 2023 No henchmen of adversarial intelligence services or money-grubbing fraudsters are going to abide by such a magnanimous international accord—even if governments or corporations pay it lip service. Robert Hackett, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2020 In its prickliness and insistence on the messiness and ineluctable pain of life, this is very different from the pandering, gold-grubbing titles that tend to hit theaters starting around now. Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 26 Sep. 2019 Get our daily newsletter China’s freewheeling internet users hand plenty of precious information over to the country’s data-grubbing apps. The Economist, 7 Sep. 2019 Sonny’s Everyman tale revives the hope that cinema might still be a popular art form, even as the movie year heads into its ugliest, platitudinous, awards-grubbing phase. Armond White, National Review, 6 Sep. 2019
Noun
Liu, 34, ranked the grub at the Oscars and afterparties in a Threads post. Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 In white or silver a grub can represent a baitfish when reeled quickly through the middle of the water column. Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 7 Mar. 2024 Both animals have long claws and sharp teeth, but sloth bears use theirs to raid bee hives and dig for grubs. Matthew Every, Field & Stream, 21 Feb. 2024 Regardless of where the grubs are or aren’t, raccoons might not be ready to give up the search. Joan Morris, The Mercury News, 1 Jan. 2024 Forget avocado toast and chai lattes, because Bob’s is all about traditional grub. Kira Turnbull, Travel + Leisure, 2 Apr. 2024 Their short, muscled limbs and four-inch claws can break apart rotting logs for grubs and beetles, and dig for worms, boosting decomposition and cycling nutrients in the thin topsoil. Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Mar. 2024 From hair-thin worms to giant grubs, deer live with a variety of parasites that might make your skin crawl. Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 29 Feb. 2024 On weekends, partiers pack in for live music and hearty pub grub—order a pie or the fish and chips with dill tartar and mint mushy peas. Ann Marie McQueen, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grub.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English grubben; akin to Old English grafan to dig — more at grave

Noun

Middle English grubbe, from grubben

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of grub was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near grub

Cite this Entry

“Grub.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grub. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

grub

1 of 2 verb
grubbed; grubbing
1
: to clear or root out by digging
grub up roots
grub for potatoes
2
: to work hard : drudge
grubber noun

grub

2 of 2 noun
1
: a soft thick wormlike larva of an insect (as a beetle)
2
b
: an untidy or dirty person
3

Medical Definition

grub

noun
: a soft thick wormlike larva of an insect

More from Merriam-Webster on grub

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