1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

grubstaking

verb

present participle of grubstake
as in paying off

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grubstaking
  1. paying off
  2. paying
  3. standing
  4. paying up
  5. defraying
  6. liquidating
  7. funding
  8. footing
Verb
  • The bet seemed to be paying off Friday, as thousands of adults flocked to local branches to snag library cards featuring the adorable anthropomorphic gang on launch day.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Whatever investments Putin has made certainly seem to be paying off, though.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of paying off
Verb
  • New homebuyers are paying 7% on their mortgages, and other loans are even more expensive.
    — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026
  • In a lawsuit filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Baker-Mazara alleged that Musselman kicked him off the team in an effort to avoid paying him the remainder of his name, image and likeness contract with the school.
    — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of paying
Verb
  • The public warning has highlighted long-standing concerns over violent crime in South Africa, particularly against women and children.
    — Mogomotsi Magome, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Sowry joked about his group’s long-standing status at the bar, noting that Lippy had even grandfathered him in on original growler pricing years ago.
    — Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of standing
Verb
  • Liverpool are not paying up to £30million for the goalkeeper Brughmans is today.
    — Matt Pyzdrowski, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Choice Home Warranty also offers a generous appliance coverage cap, paying up to $3,000 per appliance.
    — Kate Tully Ellsworth, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of paying up
Verb
  • Surcharges that California homeowners have been hit with statewide by insurers defraying the costs of Los Angeles County’s wildfires were ruled legal in a decision released late Tuesday.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
  • The board is not allowed to collect money that is not connected to defraying an actual cost.
    — Kelly G. Richardson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2026
Definition of defraying
Verb
  • No one questioned why an elderly customer was wiring money for the first time in decades, liquidating the accounts, or appearing anxious.
    — Ari Maas, New York Daily News, 11 July 2026
  • Levers to pull Investors often cite Strategy’s ability to survive the 2022 bear market without liquidating bitcoin as a key part of its bull case.
    — Tanaya Macheel, CNBC, 9 June 2026
Definition of liquidating
Verb
  • Harris spoke about Parton’s impact beyond music, which included opening Dollywood, funding research for the COVID-19 vaccine, her Imagination Library, and creating a relief fund for the wildfires that devastated Tennessee a decade before.
    — Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Sep. 2026
  • But the plan without funding details has divided her party and could be a problem when parliament reconvenes in October.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of funding
Verb
  • Baltimore City's mayor and council president are proposing an entirely new department — on equal footing with the police and fire departments — to handle some public safety responsibilities.
    — Mike Hellgren, CBS News, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Councilor Dan Boots, who represents parts of the north side and Castleton, said the city should consider charging fees to sports leagues so that taxpayers aren't footing most of the bill to patrol large events.
    — Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of footing
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.

Browse Nearby Words

grubstakes
grubstaking
grudge
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grubstaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grubstaking. Accessed 22 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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of nemesis

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

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

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
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
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All