grub
/ɡrʌb/ (bre, ipa) · /ɡrʌb/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈgrəb/ (ame, mw)
grub — noun
- grubsingular
- grubsplural
1. a young insect that has recently hatched from its egg and looks like a short, th
a young insect that has recently hatched from its egg and looks like a short, thick worm, later developing into an adult insect such as a beetle
The children found a fat white grub hiding under a rock in the garden.
hide under + rock/soil (typical habitat)
Deepak carefully picked the grub up and put it back into the flower bed.
A blackbird landed on the lawn and pulled a grub out of the damp grass.
These white grubs feed on plant roots and can damage the whole vegetable patch.
The grub will spend several weeks underground before turning into a beetle.
- larva
the formal, scientific term; 'grub' is more common in everyday gardening talk
- maggot
specifically the larva of a fly, not a beetle; 'maggot' has a more unpleasant feel
- caterpillar
the larva of a butterfly or moth, which looks different from a beetle grub
文法句型
a grub
plural: grubs
用法筆記
Frequently used in gardening and farming contexts. Not a scientific term — the formal name is 'larva'.
2. simple or ordinary food, especially when eaten at home or in a casual place like
simple or ordinary food, especially when eaten at home or in a casual place like a pub
After the long hike, the exhausted walkers sat down to eat some hot grub.
eat + grub (informal verb-noun pair)
The village pub serves decent grub at very reasonable prices.
pub grub (common informal compound)
We stopped at a roadside stall to grab some grub before driving on.
Amara cooked up a big batch of grub for the whole family gathering.
There was plenty of grub on the table, so nobody went home hungry.
文法句型
some grub
good grub
用法筆記
Used only in informal spoken or casual written English. Not appropriate for formal menus, business settings, or academic writing.
常見錯誤
grub — verb
- grubpresent simple I / you / we / they
- grubs3rd person singular
- grubbing-ing form
- grubbedpast simple
1. to dig into the earth or push soil and loose material aside while searching for
to dig into the earth or push soil and loose material aside while searching for something such as food, roots, or buried objects
The chickens grubbed for worms in the soft soil behind the garden shed.
grub for + worms (typical object)
Mei grubbed through the pile of fallen leaves, looking for her lost keys.
grub through + location (search pattern)
The old farmer grubbed around the base of the tree searching for wild herbs.
The children grubbed in the wet sand with sticks, hoping to find buried treasure.
The old gardener grubbed in the soft soil around the rose bush, searching for weeds and stones.
- dig
more general; 'dig' can be done with tools, while 'grub' suggests using hands or beak
- root
similar in meaning, often used for pigs or animals searching with their snouts
- forage
wider in scope, includes searching for food above ground as well
- rummage
search by turning things over, but not necessarily in earth
文法句型
grub + for + [object]
grub + through + [location]
grub + around + [location]
用法筆記
Often used with a preposition such as 'for', 'through', 'around', or 'in'. The action suggests persistent, hands-on searching rather than precise digging with tools.