GRUBBING Synonyms: 85 Similar and Opposite Words

grubbing

verb

present participle of grub

as in laboring

to devote serious and sustained effort grubbing away at the yard work before the first snow of the season

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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 grubbing But commissioner Rodgers would do it – once he's done taking another jab at those money-grubbing owners. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026 Double-bass glissandos hint at hands grubbing in the earth, while abrupt moments of concerted action—notably, an accordion wheezing out an F-sharp-minor chord—suggest flickering signals and transmissions. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 18 May 2026 Released in 1958, Attack told of a wealthy heiress, fresh from a stint at a mental institution, who is turned into a giantess and then deals with her philandering husband and his no-good, money-grubbing floozy. — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 9 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grubbing

Verb

Strange, yes, but definitely more memorable than an accountant in green eyeshade laboring over the books.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
And workers have now spent over 1 million hours laboring on an infrastructure project whose price tag has surpassed $900 million.

— Robert Tann, Denver Post, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of laboring

Verb

Abi is the conventional one, diligently striving in the white-collar world for mundane material comforts.

— Judy Berman, Time, 6 Nov. 2026
Wong took a different path and co-founded a political party called Demosisto in 2016, advocating for self-determination and striving for a referendum on the city's political future.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of striving

Verb

Florida was struggling under interim coach Billy Gonzales, a longtime Meyer assistant, and the Gators failed to carry any emotion into a 31-11 loss as the Vols’ ended two-decade drought in Swamp.

— Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2026
The outlet suggested Lively and Reynolds were putting on a brave face for the cameras but struggling behind-the-scenes.

— Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of struggling

Verb

Dodgers looking for Miguel Rojas replacement Rojas already has begun the transition into his player development role with the Dodgers, working with prospects in the Arizona Fall League.

— Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2026
Asphalt contractor Albert Santing, who has 28 years of experience in the industry, said the quieter operation improved working conditions on the Groningen project.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 11 Nov. 2026