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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
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 The presence of grubs indicates that the ecosystem is out of balance, says Brian Daubenspeck, a farmer and mentor at The Soil Food Web School. — Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 11 July 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
  • Activists suspect that Flock’s data has been used to plan immigration raids, which frequently target hardware store parking lots where migrant day-laborers often wait for work.
    — Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The White miners drove hundreds of other Chinese laborers out of the town.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 27 Aug. 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
  • Their crabs are steamed, frozen and packed into boxes to be shipped to Sri Lanka, where workers remove the meat by hand.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The payrolls processing firm said firms added 38,000 workers, fewer than the upwardly revised 46,000 in July and below the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 47,000.
    — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of workers
Verb
  • Deep in the Pyrenees mountains, a young man, Miquel, struggles in the wake of his mother’s death in a snowstorm — a tragic event that was at the center of Tóibín’s 2006 novella, A Long Winter.
    — Mary Lawrence Ware, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Starring Weber Yang and Chang Shih Ying (Yen And Ai-Lee), the film depicts a grieving family that struggles to recover from a fragile relationship after an unexpected tragic accident.
    — Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of struggles
Verb
  • This is all while Venus in Libra strives for justice, balance, cooperation and relationships that feel mutually considerate.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Chesney called Martin an unbelievable leader and said that his energy will give people a window into what his program strives to look like.
    — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of strives
Verb
  • If the model works, Hund says Rare Ventures will expand to include more diseases and potentially fund more treatments.
    — Brad Quick, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Related Stories The film follows Di Marco’s titular character, a disabled young adult who works as a dominant at a fetish house.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 28 Aug. 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)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grubs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grubs. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All