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.
verb (used with object),grubbed,grub·bing.
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.
verb (used without object),grubbed,grub·bing.
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
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”; see grave1, groove
historical usage of grub
The English noun grub, first recorded in the 15th century with the meaning “larva of an insect,” derives from the verb. The Middle English verb grubben, grobben “to dig the earth (with a tool)” comes from an unrecorded Old English verb grybban, grubbian and is akin to Gothic graban “to dig,” Old High German grubilōn “to dig, search for,” Middle Dutch grobben, and Dutch grobbelen “to root about, feel about for something.” 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.
Meg may have weighed as much as three times more, and would have presumably required proportional grub.
Could an ancient megashark still lurk in the deep seas?|By Riley Black|October 15, 2020|Popular Science
From there, you’ll want to get a bit of grub, with a side of history.
Explore Gullah Culture In Beaufort’s South Carolina’s Low Country|Charli Penn|September 30, 2020|Essence.com
It was more the job of Gollum, kneeling in the muck of the lowlands, head down, digging with bare hands alongside the grubs and earthworms.
How to hunt for star-nosed moles (and their holes)|Kenneth Catania|September 15, 2020|Popular Science
Nothing humbles an autocrat quite like the need to grub for votes.
Memo: The Aaron Sorkin Model of Political Discourse Doesn't Actually Work|Megan McArdle|April 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Then he rushed off to have a further talk with Matava, and, as he said, see about getting the Indian “some grub.”
The Devil-Tree of El Dorado|Frank Aubrey
He wished that he could stop and lay in a supply of grub, but dared not risk it.
Connie Morgan in Alaska|James B. Hendryx
Such were compelled to take Walkers line, go on foot and carry blankets and grub on their backs.
Wigwam and War-path; Or the Royal Chief in Chains|A. B. (Alfred Benjamin) Meacham
Poems and pawn broking—Waterloo Street is a suggestive Grub street.
The Spell of Scotland|Keith Clark
Ain't I only thinking of the rest of you when I bother myself about such a thing as grub?
Motor Boat Boys Mississippi Cruise|Louis Arundel
British Dictionary definitions for grub
grub
/ (ɡrʌb) /
verbgrubs, grubbingorgrubbed
(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
slangto provide (a person) with food or (of a person) to take food
(tr)slang, mainlyUSto scroungeto grub a cigarette
noun
the short legless larva of certain insects, esp beetles
slangfood; victuals
a person who works hard, esp in a dull plodding way
Britishinformala dirty child
Word Origin for grub
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 grave ³, groove