Synonyms of grub

grub 1 of 2

noun

1

as in food

substances intended to be eaten

after the game, we headed to the diner for some hearty grub

Synonyms & Similar Words

• food
• provisions
• eats
• bread
• meat
• fare
• meal
• table
• foodstuffs
• chow
• victuals
• supplies
• tucker
• vittles
• chuck
• edibles
• dish
• refreshments
• eatables
• comestibles
• provender
• viands
• feed
• plate
• diet
• sustenance
• nourishment
• nutriment
• commissary
• rations
• pap
• forage
• repast
• fodder
• feast
• silage
• serving
• nurture
• board
• platter
• aliment
• ensilage
• mess
• slop
• swill
• natural food
• spread
• regale
• finger food

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• poison
• toxin
• venom
• bane

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

• laborer
• worker
• slave
• peon
• plugger
• grubber
• toiler
• foot soldier
• grunt
• dogsbody
• drone
• slogger
• drudge
• drudger
• serf
• workhorse

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• slug
• shirker
• idler
• loafer
• slouch
• sluggard
• goldbrick
• lazybones

grub

2 of 2

verb

ˈgrəb 

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

• labor
• struggle
• work
• strive
• slave
• plow
• try
• endeavor
• toil
• tug
• sweat
• beaver (away)
• dig (away)
• hustle
• plug
• bang away
• fag
• strain
• hump
• sweat blood
• apply (oneself)
• peg (away)
• plod
• drudge
• travail
• buckle (down)
• slog
• pitch in
• scratch
• hammer (away)
• attack
• moil
• essay
• drive
• exercise
• grind (out)
• knuckle down
• dig in
• eke out
• exert
• wade
• put out
• trudge
• scrabble
• overwork
• overexert

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• break
• lounge
• bum
• ease (up)
• let up
• slacken
• hang (around or out)
• rest
• idle
• chill
• hack (around)
• loaf
• relax
• slack (off)
• goof (off)
• laze
• shirk
• unwind
• repose
• play
• hang
• loll
• bask
• veg out
• trifle
• goldbrick
• dillydally
• fool around
• doodle
• footle
• dabble
• hang about
• goof (around)
• dally
• potter (around)
• putter (around)
• mess around
• monkey (around)
• fribble

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of grub

Noun

First, look for grubs by digging 2 to 4 inches deep in a 1-foot-by-1-foot square of your yard. — Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 5 Sep. 2026

Reseeding is particularly important in high-traffic areas or patches of the lawn where grubs, heat, or disease have left the turf thin. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 29 Aug. 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