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
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 Enter Maximus Worthington, a money-grubbing real estate tycoon danced by CTT artistic director and lead choreographer Mark Yonally, who promises big profits for DRC by using a trickle-down model. Lauren Warnecke, chicagotribune.com, 9 June 2019
Noun
More than 60 artists and 80 vendors take over the Garage Space Gallery in Boyle Heights for a night spent scouring vintage clothing and jewelry, getting your grub on and maybe even getting a tattoo. Kamren Curiel, Los Angeles Times, 17 Nov. 2023 The FoodSaver System helps stash your grub in the freezer and stretch your dollar. Claire Rutter, Rolling Stone, 5 Oct. 2023 While searching for a place to get some grub, Lee received an email from a fan asking him to come try his mom’s restaurant, the Dining Experience, so Keith stopped in and noticed the place was completely dead compared with other restaurants in the Atlanta area. Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2023 Guests dined on grub from a variety of food stations (raw bar, pasta, yakitori) and listened to music from The Spare Keys, through Élan Artists. Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 18 Sep. 2023 True love fills you up like good grub, but bad love drains you like a tub. Essence, 2 Oct. 2023 From post-Oscars In-N-Out grubs to presidential pitstops, these famous faces don't shy away from diving into the cheesy delight. Alexandra Schonfeld, Peoplemag, 18 Sep. 2023 When the eggs hatch, the larvae — which are grubs — feed on the core of the plant, leaving it vulnerable to rot from the inside out. Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Sep. 2023 Its Fargo Bar & Grill has the feel of a down-home dive, but delivers top-notch service and huge platters of pub grub. Paul Brady, Travel + Leisure, 22 Aug. 2023 See More

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 9 Dec. 2023.

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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