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."
separable
grub out
C1 neutral separable transitive
To dig up and remove plants, roots, or stumps from the ground by the roots.
In plain English
To dig up plants or tree stumps completely from the ground.
What does "grub out" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To grub (dig) something out of the ground — largely transparent.
Actually means
To dig up plants or tree stumps completely from the ground.
Usage tip
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.
Words that pair with "grub out"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
stumps hedges roots trees weeds bushes
How to conjugate "grub out"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
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
Hear "grub out" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "grub out" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "grub out"
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