grub
noun
the thick-bodied, sluggish larva of several insects, as of a scarab beetle.
were grubbing
-
past progressiveof grub.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
They have managed only five top-seven finishes, the last being 40 years ago, and were grubbing around for points among the puddles and potholes of third-tier football as recently as 2009.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 15, 2016
How would he do if he were grubbing for diamonds amidst the mud and dust of Kimberley?
From An Old Man's Love by Anthony Trollope
There they served him; for they were grubbing folk to whom any money was welcome.
From The Legend of Ulenspiegel, Volume I (of 2) And Lamme Goedzak, and their Adventures Heroical, Joyous and Glorious in the Land of Flanders and Elsewhere by Charles Th?odore Henri de Coster
And presently, while they were grubbing in the snow, one lifted up its snout and cried in a loud voice: "Co-older—and colder!"
From The Three Mulla-mulgars by Walter De la Mare
By the summer of 1629 men, women, and children were grubbing for roots, fishing for food, ranging the rocks for berries.
From Canada: the Empire of the North Being the Romantic Story of the New Dominion's Growth from Colony to Kingdom by Agnes C. (Agnes Christina) Laut
