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
Don’t be shy to add a little elbow grease.
—
Asia London Palomba, The Spruce, 27 Feb. 2026
With just a few supplies and some elbow grease, your ice maker will be back to producing fresh, clean ice in no time.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 13 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for elbow grease
Asia London Palomba, The Spruce, 27 Feb. 2026
With just a few supplies and some elbow grease, your ice maker will be back to producing fresh, clean ice in no time.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 13 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for elbow grease
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elbow grease
Noun
-
Castle Rock offered grants to support efforts to commemorate the 150th anniversary.—
Olivia Young,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Each product is designed to work synergistically, delivering visible results with minimal effort, no guesswork involved.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Aries March 21 – April 19 Your work — professional or personal — may ask a little more of you today.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Apr. 2026
-
March 21 – April 19 Your work — professional or personal — may ask a little more of you today.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Grandmother explains how each plant helps humans ease aches and pains, as well as offering good foods like honey from the bees that drink from plants.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
12 Apr. 2026
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But the problem with utilitarianism is that just as the subjective, first-person experiences of sensory perceptions cannot be compared among individuals, neither can pleasures and pains.—
George G. Szpiro,
Big Think,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elbow grease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elbow%20grease. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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