1 C1 neutral
To dig up plants, stumps, or roots from the ground, clearing the land.
"The farmer grubbed up the old orchard to plant a new crop of wheat."
separable
grub up
C1 neutral separable transitive
To dig up and clear plants, roots, or stumps from the ground; also informally, food or a meal.
In plain English
To dig plants or tree stumps out of the ground completely — or (very informally) to find or prepare some food.
What does "grub up" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To grub (dig like an animal rooting around) something up from the ground.
Actually means
To dig plants or tree stumps out of the ground completely — or (very informally) to find or prepare some food.
Usage tip
The gardening/farming sense is more established. The informal food sense ('grub' as slang for food, e.g. 'grub's up!') is common in British English but is arguably a different use of 'grub.' Context usually makes the meaning clear.
Words that pair with "grub up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
stumps roots weeds hedgerows food garden
How to conjugate "grub up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
grub up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
grubs up
he/she/it
Past simple
grubed up
yesterday
Past participle
grubed up
have + pp
-ing form
grubing up
continuous
Hear "grub up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "grub up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "grub up"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
Keep exploring
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