grub
the thick-bodied, sluggish larva of several insects, as of a scarab beetle.
a dull, plodding person; drudge.
an unkempt person.
Slang. food; victuals.
any remaining roots or stumps after cutting vegetation to clear land for farming.
to dig; clear of roots, stumps, etc.
to dig up by the roots; uproot (often followed by up or out).
Slang. to supply with food; feed.
Slang. to scrounge: to grub a cigarette.
to dig; search by or as if by digging: We grubbed through piles of old junk to find the deed.
to lead a laborious or groveling life; drudge: It's wonderful to have money after having to grub for so many years.
to engage in laborious study.
Slang. to eat; take food.
Origin of grub
1word story For grub
The Germanic words all derive from the Germanic root grab- “to dig, bury, scratch,” source of the English noun grave “excavation in the earth for burial of a body” and the verb grave “to carve or sculpt.”
The “food, victuals” slang meaning of grub dates from the mid-17th century. The slang meaning “to beg or scrounge” dates from the late 19th century.
Other words from grub
- grubber, noun
Words Nearby grub
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use grub in a sentence
When it comes to more casual grub, you’re looking at a pretty standard concessions operation, with a few notable exceptions.
The Ultimate Yosemite National Park Travel Guide | Shawnté Salabert | February 22, 2021 | Outside OnlineThey gathered food in fruit trees above the pens, and the swine gulped down the guano and infected bits of grub that rained from above.
The fight to stop the next pandemic starts in the jungles of Borneo | Brian Barth | December 2, 2020 | Popular-ScienceMeg may have weighed as much as three times more, and would have presumably required proportional grub.
Could an ancient megashark still lurk in the deep seas? | By Riley Black | October 15, 2020 | Popular-ScienceFrom there, you’ll want to get a bit of grub, with a side of history.
Explore Gullah Culture In Beaufort’s South Carolina’s Low Country | Charli Penn | September 30, 2020 | Essence.comIt was more the job of Gollum, kneeling in the muck of the lowlands, head down, digging with bare hands alongside the grubs and earthworms.
How to hunt for star-nosed moles (and their holes) | Kenneth Catania | September 15, 2020 | Popular-Science
Real-estate expert Julian Hitchcock told grub Street he expects to see more chain restaurants pop up in New York.
The man who started the L.A. food truck craze shares his favorite spots to grab some delicious grub on wheels.
Nothing humbles an autocrat quite like the need to grub for votes.
Memo: The Aaron Sorkin Model of Political Discourse Doesn't Actually Work | Megan McArdle | April 23, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTGood grub, lots of monitors, and the waitresses are usually hot.
Eastbound & Down’s Kenny Powers Lists His Favorite Things | Kenny Powers | February 17, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTSummer is just over the surf, so start looking now for those hidden beach shacks where the best grub of the season is found.
It wasn't long before she surprised the object of her search in the act of eating a fat grub beside a pumpkin.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole | Arthur Scott BaileyWhat of the infinite goodness of God in teaching the grub of the ichneumon-fly to eat up the cabbage caterpillar alive?
God and my Neighbour | Robert BlatchfordFor that matter, he said, he didn't care a tinker's dam if we were; he had grub and bedding and we were welcome to both.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairWhile we were packing grub and bedding on Piegan's extra horse, Lyn joined us, wrapped from head to heel in a yellow slicker.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairShe said Noo York took a turrible lot of money–clothes, and grub, and so forth and so on.
Alec Lloyd, Cowpuncher | Eleanor Gates
British Dictionary definitions for grub
/ (ɡrʌb) /
(when tr, often foll by up or out) to search for and pull up (roots, stumps, etc) by digging in the ground
to dig up the surface of (ground, soil, etc), esp to clear away roots, stumps, etc
(intr; often foll by in or among) to search carefully
(intr) to work unceasingly, esp at a dull task or research
slang to provide (a person) with food or (of a person) to take food
(tr) slang, mainly US to scrounge: to grub a cigarette
the short legless larva of certain insects, esp beetles
slang food; victuals
a person who works hard, esp in a dull plodding way
British informal a dirty child
Origin of grub
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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