grub 1 of 2

noun

Definition of grubnext
1
as in food
substances intended to be eaten after the game, we headed to the diner for some hearty grub

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in laborer
a person who does very hard or dull work you may have to spend some time working as a grub before challenging work comes your way

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

grub

2 of 2

verb

ˈgrəb How to pronounce grub (audio)
as in to labor
to devote serious and sustained effort grubbing away at the yard work before the first snow of the season

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of grub
Noun
Those immigration conditions led to decades of stateside stereotypes of Italians as poor and violent and their diet ridiculed as peasant grub. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026 And while Habit Burger might not generate the same fast-food frothing at the mouth as In-N-Out Burger does, the chain typically delivers solid grub. — Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 9 July 2026
Verb
Countless publications and companies, whether The Washington Post or Toast, have created tipping guides to help consumers wade through this morass of money grubbing. — Tim Carman, Washington Post, 26 June 2024 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 See All Example Sentences for grub
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grub
  1. food
  2. laborer
  3. labor
  4. provisions
  5. worker
  6. struggle
  7. bread
  8. slave
Noun
  • At the same time, the cost of basic needs - housing, healthcare, education, and food - has continued to rise causing workers to struggle to cover basic living expenses.
    — Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 24 July 2026
  • Last July, Maureen Remigio, wife of wide receiver Nick Remigio, posted photos of herself cooking Filipino food and taking the meals to her husband at camp.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 24 July 2026
Definition of food
Noun
  • Unfortunately, during the early to mid-twentieth century, negative perceptions of immigrant and ethnic laborers led many outsiders to view their neighborhoods as unsafe, unclean, and detrimental to the social fabric of American cities.
    — Michelle Oliva-Espinosa, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2026
  • The El Niño effects, in combination with the high fertilizer costs, will likely reduce opportunities for agricultural work while also increasing the amount that food laborers – among the poorest people – have to spend on produce.
    — Peter Hailey, The Conversation, 16 July 2026
Definition of laborer
Verb
  • Since the Computing Community Consortium hosted its first conference on thermodynamic computing in 2019, a small community of researchers has been laboring to put it into practice.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 15 July 2026
  • The former offices of the saltpeter mines, which produced the main ingredients used in gunpowder and fertilizer, evoke the past, when thousands of people labored at processing caliche, a nitrate-bearing rock.
    — Cristina Dorador, The Dial, 14 July 2026
Definition of labor
Noun
  • Larson was one of a few Democrats to oppose it because the law did not include an offset similar to that in his own Social Security reform bill, which would have temporarily remove those provisions.
    — Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 25 July 2026
  • Most notable, the new exhibit emphasizes the emancipation provisions of Washington’s last will and testament.
    — John Garrison Marks, The Atlantic, 25 July 2026
Definition of provisions
Noun
  • The building appears to be still in the framing stage with workers making adjustments to the concrete pylons as cars zip past.
    — Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 July 2026
  • From a human trafficking sweep, to a mistrial in the K Street mass shooting case, to a look at a state worker Reddit community, here’s a rundown of the top Sacramento stories on July 21.
    — Ruyuan Li. Summary produced by AI assistance, Sacbee.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of worker
Verb
  • In the galley, Joy struggles to accommodate two sheets of Suzanne’s preferences and one sheet of Sugar Baby’s.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 21 July 2026
  • Day to day, as the city grows, there’s also the question of traffic, which snarls the city as public transit initiatives have repeatedly struggled.
    — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 21 July 2026
Definition of struggle
Noun
  • It’s constructed on some of the softest coco bread around, but that’s not the best part.
    — Justin Brown, AJC.com, 26 July 2026
  • Banana bread, chocolate loaves, pound cake—all have made their way through my kitchen over the years.
    — Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 July 2026
Definition of bread
Noun
  • There is a case in the exhibit’s second gallery dedicated to this topic, including a list of slaves who landed in Cuba.
    — Kaitlyn Harvey, AJC.com, 23 July 2026
  • This Pulitzer-winning neo-slave narrative reimagines the Underground Railroad as a real subterranean network, in a Sisyphean allegory that illustrates the relentless metamorphoses of white supremacy and Black resistance.
    — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 22 July 2026
Definition of slave

Browse Nearby Words

grow up
grub
grub (about)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grub.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grub. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on grub

Nglish: Translation of grub for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of parochial

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All