grub
noun
the thick-bodied, sluggish larva of several insects, as of a scarab beetle.
had been grubbing
-
past perfect progressiveof grub.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
After her breakfast, my sweet Carry began to play cards with some chaps who had been grubbing at the next table.
From Caught in the Net by Émile Gaboriau
There on a patch of soil where some bear had been grubbing for tubers he detected a strange footprint.
From In the Morning of Time by Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts
They had been grubbing that day, and were tired.
From On Our Selection by Steele Rudd
This—a hole that looked as if an old hen had been grubbing in it—was Loch Katrine.
From Countess Kate by Charlotte Mary Yonge
While we were helping Jack along, and passing a place where the boar had been grubbing, I noticed some such curious knotty roots or tubercles, that I brought away specimens.
From The Swiss Family Robinson or, Adventures on a Desert Island by Jean Rudolph Wyss
