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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use grub in a sentence
And it was not in the least like the scratching of a hen, looking for grubs and worms.
The Tale of Chirpy Cricket | Arthur Scott BaileyThe change of diet, complete though it is, has in no way affected the appetite of the Scolia-grubs.
More Hunting Wasps | J. Henri FabreUnder these conditions my Scolia-grubs contrive at most to upholster their little pit with a thick down of reddish silk.
More Hunting Wasps | J. Henri FabreThe grubs attack it without hesitation and consume it with every appearance of the usual appetite.
More Hunting Wasps | J. Henri FabreThe honey, I say, would imperil the grubs' lives, The Bee must therefore first be made to disgorge.
More Hunting Wasps | J. Henri Fabre
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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