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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Recent Examples of grubbing
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
Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 9 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grubbing
Verb
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For the rest of us, the construction kickoff means delay upon delay as streets, avenues and roads are awash with heavy equipment and construction workers laboring with jackhammers, picks and shovels.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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Trump poses as a pro-worker force, but his policies are atrocious for the laboring class.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Gray’s crime thriller stars Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, and Miles Teller in a story about two brothers striving to achieve the American Dream only to get caught up with the Russian Mafia.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
7 May 2026
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In the shadows of the world’s most prestigious piano competition, a group of expert tuners spend a month striving to achieve perfect pitch—hoping that the eventual champion will perform on their instrument.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
6 May 2026
Verb
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When Wagner was healthy in the first four games, Cunningham was still getting his points, but getting them inefficiently, struggling to find rhythm against Wagner’s length and discipline.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 May 2026
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After struggling in his first game back — which Boston won by 32 points to take a 3-1 series lead — the 2023 NBA MVP was a defining figure in Games 5, 6 and 7.—
Zack Cox,
Hartford Courant,
3 May 2026
Verb
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Adjust the plan, and let that flexibility keep everything working without losing your own direction or sense of independence in the process.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
4 May 2026
-
Onscreen, the seduction was working.—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grubbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grubbing. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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