grub 1 of 2

noun

Definition of grubnext
1
as in food
substances intended to be eaten after the game, we headed to the diner for some hearty grub

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2
as in laborer
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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grub

2 of 2

verb

ˈgrəb How to pronounce grub (audio)
as in to labor
to devote serious and sustained effort grubbing away at the yard work before the first snow of the season

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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 grub
Noun
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
Verb
Countless publications and companies, whether The Washington Post or Toast, have created tipping guides to help consumers wade through this morass of money grubbing. — Tim Carman, Washington Post, 26 June 2024 So much of the story takes place firmly in and on the ground, whether its characters are grubbing around the countryside or descending six feet under. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 30 Mar. 2024 See All Example Sentences for grub
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grub
  1. food
  2. laborer
  3. labor
  4. provisions
  5. worker
  6. struggle
  7. bread
  8. slave
Noun
  • The company, founded in 1995, has grown through a combination of scale and acquisitions, building an operation that spans much of the food supply chain.
    — Brandon Gomez, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • That allows the team to be on the same page, whether that’s playing time or a dress code in the food hall.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of food
Noun
  • Built in 1610 by Spanish and Indigenous laborers, the church was destroyed in the 1680 Pueblo Revolt that drove Spanish colonizers out of the region for 12 years.
    — Dan Fellner, AZCentral.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Even though public schooling became compulsory in 1896, the language barrier and the remote location of many plantations led to gaps in access to these laborers’ formal education.
    — H.M.A. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of laborer
Verb
  • Humans engaged user interfaces to command software and engage with outputs like dashboards, while APIs labored in the background.
    — George C. Lee II, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of labor
Noun
  • The Coastal Commission signed off on the project a few years ago, after tussles over low-cost housing provisions during the course of erecting yet another luxury hotel.
    — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Put simply, penalty relief describes the broader set of IRS provisions that can help taxpayers avoid, reduce or remove certain penalties.
    — Jamela Adam, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of provisions
Noun
  • During the early days of the pandemic, Prem and his team dispatched medical staff to Singapore’s checkpoints for virus screening, as well as to foreign worker dormitories to care for workers who fell ill.
    — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
  • At the same time, many of these tech companies, like Microsoft and IBM, have been providing accessible professional certificate programs to workers across the globe in hopes of closing the skills gap.
    — Charlotte Hu, Time, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of worker
Verb
  • Three days later, the team brought in Moody, the former Michigan standout who has also struggled at times in his young career.
    — Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Restaurants and private grocery stores are struggling to stay open because of higher supply costs and lower consumption.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of struggle
Noun
  • Pierre’s Instagram business account for her viral Japanese milk-bread cinnamon rolls boasts over 153,000 followers.
    — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Significant portions of protein, fiber, and nutrients are lost in the processing, although some vitamins are added back to items like bread and pasta to enrich them.
    — Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of bread
Noun
  • The Christiana Riot, also known as the Christiana Resistance, occurred in Christiana, Pennsylvania, where free Black people and escaped slaves successfully resisted a federal marshal’s raid to capture four fugitive slaves.
    — USA Today, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
  • So have other terms considered insensitive, such as master/slave and blackhat/whitehat.
    — Jo Mackiewicz, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of slave

Browse Nearby Words

grow up
grub
grub (about)
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Cite this Entry

“Grub.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grub. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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