grubs 1 of 2

noun

plural of grub
as in laborers
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

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grubs

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of grub
as in labors
to devote serious and sustained effort grubbing away at the yard work before the first snow of the season

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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 grubs
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 Their larvae, called grubs, often feast on the organic matter in compost. — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026 They are considered beneficial insects that pollinate flowers and prey on grubs and beetles. — Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026 Their diet consists primarily of insects and other soil-dwelling creatures, including earthworms and grubs. — Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 5 Aug. 2026 Japanese beetles suddenly emerge mid-summer as the grubs become adults. — Alora Bopray, USA Today, 6 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grubs
  1. laborers
  2. labors
  3. workers
  4. struggles
  5. strives
  6. works
  7. slaves
Noun
  • In the previous decades, Japan had brought in many Korean, Chinese, and Taiwanese laborers, often under duress, to work in factories and mines, usually in atrocious conditions.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, $12 million will go to a fund supporting out-of-work entertainment industry laborers.
    — Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of laborers
Verb
  • Thoroughly unimpressed by her suburban idyll, and evidently unmoved by her responsibilities as wife and mother, Denise labors in her basement on a novel whose protagonist wishes to forsake her family for a life in New York.
    — Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Every man and woman who labors in the construction industry deserves that.
    — Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 5 Mar. 2026
Definition of labors
Noun
  • As part of orchestrating this project, Simon was also involved in securing visas for the various international performers, encountering in the process the uneven access to travel for cultural workers across classes, nationalities, and milieus.
    — Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The circumstances and cultural details may vary, but these unequal power dynamics between families and their domestic workers exist everywhere, to different degrees.
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of workers
Verb
  • In bonds, France’s problem is America’s problem A lot of eyes are on the French bond market right now as Paris struggles to deal with its national debt.
    — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Today, Los Angeles struggles as productions flee to places including New Jersey, Georgia, London and Albuquerque, which are taking their turns as urban shape-shifters.
    — Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of struggles
Verb
  • Yet, this tense adventure makes a strong case that bad parents can still teach good lessons, even when a kid strives to live in opposition to their folks.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Katie strives to use catering companies that adhere to the teachings of the Make America Healthy Again movement, one regular guest says, which encourages the consumption of raw milk and the avoidance of seed oils.
    — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of strives
Verb
  • The measure works largely by imposing deadlines on state agencies and courts to issue decisions quickly.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Russia's Federal Security Service said the man, who works for the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper, was suspected of gathering information about Russia's defense capability on behalf of a Japanese intelligence agency.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of works
Verb
  • Things are equally akilter in his family’s home, with his mother now sitting on the couch watching TV while his father slaves away in the kitchen.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Definition of slaves

Browse Nearby Words

grubby
grubs
grubs (about)
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Cite this Entry

“Grubs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grubs. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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