grub

American  

[gruhb] / grʌb /

noun

1. the thick-bodied, sluggish larva of several insects, as of a scarab beetle.

2. a dull, plodding person; drudge.

3. an unkempt person.

4. Slang. food; victuals.

5. any remaining roots or stumps after cutting vegetation to clear land for farming.

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verb (used with object)

grubbed, grubbing

1. to dig; clear of roots, stumps, etc.

2. to dig up by the roots; uproot (often followed by up orout ).

3. Slang. to supply with food; feed.

4. Slang. to scrounge.

   to grub a cigarette.

verb (used without object)

grubbed, grubbing

1. to dig; search by or as if by digging.

   We grubbed through piles of old junk to find the deed.

2. to lead a laborious or groveling life; drudge.

   It's wonderful to have money after having to grub for so many years.

3. to engage in laborious study.

4. Slang. to eat; take food.

grub British  

/ ɡrʌb /

verb

1. to search for and pull up (roots, stumps, etc) by digging in the ground

2. to dig up the surface of (ground, soil, etc), esp to clear away roots, stumps, etc

3. (intr; often foll by in or among) to search carefully

4. (intr) to work unceasingly, esp at a dull task or research

5. slang to provide (a person) with food or (of a person) to take food

6. slang (tr) to scrounge

   to grub a cigarette

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noun

1. the short legless larva of certain insects, esp beetles

2. slang food; victuals

3. a person who works hard, esp in a dull plodding way

4. informal a dirty child

Other Word Forms

• grubber noun

Etymology

Origin of grub

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English grubbe (noun), grubben (verb); akin to Old High German grubilōn “to dig,” German grübeln “to rack (the brain),” Old Norse gryfia “hole, pit”; grave ¹, groove

Explanation

The noun grub can refer either to a soft, young insect or to hearty food. If your best friend invites you over for some grub, don't worry — she almost certainly means the food and not the bugs. The grubs your dad picks off of his tomato plant are insects, while the grub you eat in the school cafeteria includes spaghetti and Sloppy Joes. The most interesting thing about this word is how it went from describing a squishy, arguably gross little beetle larva to an informal term for something delicious. Experts guess that it comes from birds gobbling grubs. This slang definition has been around since the 17th century.

Example Sentences

In 1938, Pennington pitched a tent outside the hiring hall for workers building the Shasta Dam, set up some tree stumps for seats and started hawking grub.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

He replied "grub" when asked about Britain's disgraced former prince Andrew, and "winner" at the mention of Melbourne-born Formula One driver Oscar Piastri.

From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026

How did a recherché, quasi-French dish leave the skillful hands of Thomas Jefferson’s enslaved cooks and wind up being popular grub for millions of today’s cooks and consumers, white and—emphatically—black?

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

Foodies will be able to buy hot and cold grub during the event.

From BBC • Sep. 4, 2025

The female Tiphia, finding a beetle grub in the soil, injects a paralyzing fluid and attaches a single egg to the undersurface of the grub.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Related Words

• maggot
• worm