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grub out

C1 neutral separable transitive
In simple words

To dig up plants or tree stumps completely from the ground.

Literal meaning: To grub (dig) something out of the ground — largely transparent.

Meanings

1 C1 neutral

To remove plants, tree stumps, or roots from the ground by digging them out completely.

"They spent the whole weekend grubbing out the old hedgerow to make way for the new fence."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

A farming and gardening term. Refers to the removal of stumps, hedgerows, or deep-rooted plants. Common in British agricultural and rural contexts. Largely absent from urban everyday speech.

Commonly used with

stumps hedges roots trees weeds bushes

Forms

Base
grub out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
grubs out
he/she/it
Past simple
grubed out
yesterday
Past participle
grubed out
have + pp
-ing form
grubing out
continuous

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Synonyms

uproot dig out pull up eradicate root out stub up

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