as in effort
the active use of energy in producing a result
with a little polish and a lot of elbow grease, I was able to make the old silver teapot shine again
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Recent Examples of elbow grease
This chore requires lots of scrubbing and elbow grease, and taking proper precautions to ensure your safety is key.
—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 30 Aug. 2025
Weber Griddle Scraper $22 $19 (14% off) Amazon $19
Weber
Other people have their own methods, but my preference for cleaning griddles tends to use more steam than elbow grease.
—Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 6 Aug. 2025
Unlike bulky box graters that can take up space and food processors that require power, the best paddle graters store flat in a utensil drawer and only require a little elbow grease for power.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 30 July 2025
To experience the preserve’s tranquility, visitors have to put in a little elbow grease.
—Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 18 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for elbow grease
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 30 Aug. 2025
Weber Griddle Scraper $22 $19 (14% off) Amazon $19
Weber
Other people have their own methods, but my preference for cleaning griddles tends to use more steam than elbow grease.
—Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 6 Aug. 2025
Unlike bulky box graters that can take up space and food processors that require power, the best paddle graters store flat in a utensil drawer and only require a little elbow grease for power.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 30 July 2025
To experience the preserve’s tranquility, visitors have to put in a little elbow grease.
—Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 18 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for elbow grease
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elbow grease
Noun
-
What To Know According to the Associated Press (AP), the vote enables the county Board of Supervisors to approve rent relief efforts to tenants who cannot afford to pay their monthly costs of living due to the immigration crackdowns.—
Deputy News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Doug McMillon, the company’s president and CEO, said the latest partnership with OpenAI is merely a powerful extension of the company’s own AI efforts and plans.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Hernández writes that the industrialization and nationalization of the economy in the late nineteenth century meant that large numbers of men were frequently thrown out of work.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
21 Oct. 2025
-
How will the safe sleep lot work?—
Grace Tucker,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Aches and pains don’t compare to the agony of an unrealized dream.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Such pleasurable pains, at their most chronic, or their most carnal, can keep Lang occupied for the length of a stanza.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Elbow grease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elbow%20grease. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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