Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense grubs, present participle grubbing, past tense, past participle grubbed
1. countable noun
A grub is a young insect which has just come out of an egg and looks like a short fat worm.
2. uncountable noun
Grub is food.
[informal]
Get yourself some grub and come and sit down.
Synonyms: food, feed, rations, tack [informal] More Synonyms of grub
3. verb
If you grub around, you search for something.
I simply cannot face grubbing through all this paper. [VERB adverb/preposition]
Phrasal verbs:
See grub up
More Synonyms of grub
grub in British English
(ɡrʌb)
verbWord forms: grubs, grubbing or grubbed
1. (whentr, often foll by up or out)
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. (intransitive)
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. (transitive) slang, mainly US
to scrounge
to grub a cigarette
noun
7.
the short legless larva of certain insects, esp beetles
8. slang
food; victuals
9.
a person who works hard, esp in a dull plodding way
10. British informal
a dirty child
Word origin
C13: of Germanic origin; compare Old High German grubilōn to dig, German grübeln to rack one's brain, Middle Dutch grobben to scrape together; see grave3, groove
grub in American English
(grʌb)
verb intransitiveWord forms: grubbed or ˈgrubbing
1.
to dig in the ground
2.
to work hard, esp. at something menial or tedious; drudge
3.
to search about; rummage
4. Slang, Obsolete
to eat
verb transitive
5.
to clear (ground) of roots and stumps by digging them up
6.
to dig up by or as by the roots; root out; uproot
noun
7.
the short, fat, wormlike larva of certain insects, esp. of a beetle
8.
a person who works hard at some menial or tedious work; drudge
9. Slang
food
Derived forms
grubber (ˈgrubber)
noun
Word origin
ME grubben, to dig, prob. < OE *grybban (akin to OHG grubilōn, to bore into): for IE base see grave2; (senses 4 and 9) < ? notion “what is grubbed for”
Examples of 'grub' in a sentence
grub
And some decent grub always helps matters hugely.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The band found out and quickly despatched the free grub.
The Sun (2011)
He was stunned to learn more money is spent on prison grub than food for the sick.
The Sun (2011)
He scratched on the dirt for grubs and for insects.
Christianity Today (2000)
Of course no one should need to rely on free grub.
The Sun (2015)
Four in ten of those polled said grub like stir fries and curries are easier to cook.
The Sun (2015)
He became so embarrassed at the thought of the world seeing his diet he switched to healthy grub.
The Sun (2010)
They soon recognise the signs of digging in the garden and will perch near by ready to feast on uncovered grubs or worms.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The major problem is punters here expect a diet of top-class football along with decent grub.
The Sun (2009)
Firstly, a platter of worms and live grubs.
The Sun (2015)
She advises choosing low density foods - grub that contains few calories but still fills you up.
The Sun (2009)
Small birds are having trouble feeding, as the insects and grubs are not there yet.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
She could just have been saving herself for some British grub.
The Sun (2013)
Rising food costs have also caused people to shun fresh veg for cheaper, less healthy grub.
The Sun (2008)
They used to bring sarnies but the Government has told all schools to provide hot grub from next year.
The Sun (2007)
HOSPITAL patients deserve some decent grub.
The Sun (2011)
Yet there should also be no need for MPs to feel so badly underpaid that they grub around for funds in grubby places.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
In other languages
grub
British English: grub /ɡrʌb/ NOUN
A grub is an insect which has just hatched from its egg.
American English: grub
Arabic: دودَة
Brazilian Portuguese: larva
Chinese: 幼虫
Croatian: ličinka
Czech: larva
Danish: larve
Dutch: larve
European Spanish: larva
Finnish: murkina
French: larve
German: Larve
Greek: κάμπια
Italian: larva
Japanese: 地虫
Korean: 음식
Norwegian: larve
Polish: żarcie
European Portuguese: larva
Romanian: larvă
Russian: личинка
Latin American Spanish: larva
Swedish: käk
Thai: ตัวอ่อนของแมลง
Turkish: yemek argo
Ukrainian: личинка
Vietnamese: ấu trùng
British English: grub VERB
If you grub around, you search for something.
I simply cannot face grubbing through all this paper.
American English: grub
Brazilian Portuguese: vasculhar
Chinese: 搜寻
European Spanish: escarbar
French: fouiner
German: wühlen
Italian: rovistare
Japanese: 探し回る
Korean: 찾다
European Portuguese: vasculhar
Latin American Spanish: escarbar
All related terms of 'grub'
grub up
If you grub up trees or plants, or grub them out , you dig them out of the ground , usually because they are no longer wanted .
grub hoe
a heavy hoe for grubbing up roots
pub grub
food served in a pub
grub screw
a small headless screw having a slot cut for a screwdriver or a socket for a hexagon key and used to secure a sliding component in a determined position
Grub Street
a former street in London frequented by literary hacks and needy authors
witchetty grub
the wood-boring edible larva of certain Australian moths and beetles
Chinese translation of 'grub'
grub
(ɡrʌb)
n
(c) (= larva) 蛴(蠐)螬 (qícáo) (条(條), tiáo)
(u) (= food) 食物 (shíwù)
1 (noun)
Definition
the short legless larva of certain insects, such as beetles
The grubs do their damage by tunnelling through ripened fruit.
Synonyms
larva
maggot
fetid, maggot-infested meat
caterpillar
2 (noun)
Definition
food
(slang)
Get yourself some grub and come and sit down.
Synonyms
food
Enjoy your food!
feed
a crop grown for animal feed
rations
tack (informal)
eats (slang)
kai (New Zealand, informal)
I'm starving - let's have some kai.
sustenance
The state provided a basic quantity of food for daily sustenance.
nosh (slang)
It served delicious, authentic nosh
victuals
nosebag (slang)
vittles (obsolete, dialect)
1 (verb)
Definition
to search carefully for something by digging or by moving things about
grubbing through piles of paper for his address
Synonyms
search
Armed troops searched the hospital yesterday.
hunt
scour
We scoured the telephone directory for clues.
ferret
She ferreted among some papers.
rummage
They rummage through piles of second-hand clothes.
forage
They were forced to forage for clothes and fuel.
fossick (Australian, New Zealand)
If you fossick around in some specialist music stores, you may be lucky enough to find a copy.
2 (verb)
chickens grubbing around in the dirt for food
Synonyms
dig
I changed into clothes more suited to digging.
search
root (informal)
She rooted through the bag.
probe
The more they probed into his background, the more suspicious they became.