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Glite Dictionary
to grub out

to grub out

6.9
To dig up roots or stumps from the ground
  • phrasal verb
  • /ɡrʌb aʊt/
  • UK
translation icon : desenterrar
  • Before laying a new lawn, it is essential to grub out any unwanted stumps and roots from the ground.
  • grubbing out the stumps

Examples

  • They drive up to old orchards and old hay meadows that some other person has grubbed out of the woods and call it something fine.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • We reached the airstrip we had made in a long open meadow by running the car and the truck up and down through the new short grass and grubbing out the stumps and roots of a patch of brush at one end.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • To prepare the garden for planting, you need to grub out the old roots and debris left from last season.

  • The crew worked hard to grub out the invasive plants that were choking the native species in the area.

Synonyms

to dig up
vsto grub out
139 2.0

To take something out of the ground by digging

is narrower, concentrating on extracting roots or stumps rather than any buried item
to uproot
vsto grub out
38 4.4

To pull a plant out of the ground or force people to leave home

stresses digging action aimed at roots or stumps rather than general removal
to lift
vsto grub out
  • UK
21 7.5

To dig up plants or root crops from the ground for harvest

is about digging out and removing roots or stumps rather than harvesting crops
to dig out
vsto grub out
14 3.2

Remove something that is under the ground or snow using a shovel

is focused specifically on digging out roots or stumps from soil
to root out
vsto grub out
1 4.0

Pull a plant up from the ground so it cannot grow back

emphasizes digging out tough roots or stumps rather than simple pulling
to grub up
vsto grub out
  • UK
7.7

To dig up and remove plants or roots from the ground

is the same meaning but uses the alternative common phrasing
to unroot
vsto grub out
5.9

Pull something completely out of the ground by its roots

focuses more on digging out roots or stumps rather than only pulling

Antonyms

to bury
∞ 1.7

To put something in the ground and cover it with soil, for example a body or treasure

to plant
361 1.0

To put seeds or young plants into the soil so they grow

How Thorough

to excavate
28 5.8
to grub out
  • UK
6.9
to dig up
139 2.0
to pull up
111 3.2

Surface Forms

grub out infinitive
grubbed out past
grubbed out past participle
grubbing out present participle
grubs out third person singular

Morphology

grub + out

The meaning 'to dig up or remove from the ground' is directly derivable from combining 'grub' (to dig in soil) with the particle 'out' (indicating removal or outward direction). This follows a regular English verb+particle composition where 'out' signals extraction, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The verb grub out comes from gardening work: grub means to dig around and pull up roots, and out shows removing something from the ground. Picture someone digging hard to pull a tough stump out of the soil — that's why grub out means 'to dig up or remove something' today.