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
While not particularly new, self-cleaning ovens are a tech-y upgrade that, according to some, have a long way to go in terms of replacing good old elbow grease.
—
Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Martha Stewart, 7 Feb. 2026
Sometimes, good old-fashioned elbow grease can work even better.
—Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 31 Jan. 2026
There’s also an impressive discount on the top-selling Fullstar vegetable chopper that can dice produce any which way without any elbow grease on your end, as well as this six-piece champagne flute set that’s primed for New Year’s Eve festivities.
—Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 20 Dec. 2025
To experience the preserve’s tranquility, visitors have to put in a little elbow grease.
—Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elbow grease
Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Martha Stewart, 7 Feb. 2026
Sometimes, good old-fashioned elbow grease can work even better.
—Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 31 Jan. 2026
There’s also an impressive discount on the top-selling Fullstar vegetable chopper that can dice produce any which way without any elbow grease on your end, as well as this six-piece champagne flute set that’s primed for New Year’s Eve festivities.
—Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 20 Dec. 2025
To experience the preserve’s tranquility, visitors have to put in a little elbow grease.
—Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elbow grease
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elbow grease
Noun
-
Gore said in a statement that because the project has encountered issues, the department has been making efforts to improve transparency and accountability.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
18 Mar. 2026
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With the state of emergency, response and recovery efforts are offered to Alcona, Alpena, Delta, Missaukee, Ogemaw, Roscommon and Wexford counties.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Dark, sexy, thrillingly complicated—across the last 60 years, Charlotte Rampling’s oeuvre has been unparalleled, and now, at the age of 80, the Oscar nominee is still hard at work.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
20 Mar. 2026
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By night, this nifty work area transforms into Spotted Stone, the hotel’s plush cocktail bar lounge.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Paktyawal began complaining of shortness of breath and chest pains while being held in a holding room at the Dallas ICE field office on Friday evening and was taken to the hospital to receive breathing treatment, the agency said.—
Aarón Torres,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Mar. 2026
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The agency, in the years since, has taken pains to culturally move away from that attitude in favor of an approach that sees STAR as a standalone response option on equal footing with police, firefighters and paramedics.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elbow grease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elbow%20grease. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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