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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The son of a medical-gas plumber who worked night shifts, Darnold just kept laboring at his craft.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
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In the summer of 2024, UNICEF’s representative in Congo suggested that 361,000 children might be laboring in mines in southern Congo, though this number seems implausibly high and drew quick opprobrium from Congolese NGOs that work on the issue.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Midway through Ramadan, Muslims across the United States are striving to maintain the holy month’s traditional mix of prayers and festive spirit under a cloud of worrisome events.—
Luis Andres Henao,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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Figure on an almost completely different combination striving to finish games in August and September.—
Tim Cowlishaw,
Dallas Morning News,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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No workers for mundane tasks Diez revealed that manufacturers worldwide are struggling to find laborers for highly repetitive physical tasks.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
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Dogs generally aren’t allowed on cruises, but after struggling to find a flight that would allow pets in the cabin, Morris decided to bring Monty across the pond in the storied ocean liner’s kennels – one of the only ways cruise travelers' furry friends can sail the high seas.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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China’s biggest chain of eye hospitals is working with an adviser on the share sale, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private.—
Julia Fioretti,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
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The papers allege that his working hours at the school and with the city overlapped.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grubbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grubbing. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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