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Glite Dictionary
to grub up

to grub up

7.7
To dig up and remove plants or roots from the ground
  • phrasal verb
  • UK
translation icon : desenterrar
  • Let's get that grub up.
  • grub up some rocks

Examples

  • In the spring, we need to grub up the weeds before they take over the garden.

  • Ah, come on, grub up.

    Return from the River Kwai (1989)

  • "There is work to do, Tully David Coates!" He grubbed up more rocks over by the fence.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • He grubbed up another rock and lofted it over a neighbor's house toward the gray outline of the coast range forty miles away in the direction of Coalinga.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • The gardener grubbed up the old roots to make space for new plants.

  • He grubbed up the stumps left behind after the tree was cut down.

Synonyms

to dig
vsto grub up
912 1.0

To move earth with a tool to make a hole

is specific to removing plants, roots, or stumps rather than general earthwork
to dig up
vsto grub up
139 2.0

To take something out of the ground by digging

is narrower, focusing on plants, roots, and stumps rather than any buried object
to uproot
vsto grub up
38 4.4

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

emphasizes digging out stumps and roots rather than only pulling up plants
to lift
vsto grub up
  • UK
21 7.5

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

is used for digging removal generally, not limited to harvest or transplant
to dig out
vsto grub up
14 3.2

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

focuses on digging out plants and roots specifically rather than clearing coverings
to root out
vsto grub up
1 4.0

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

focuses on removal done by digging rather than pulling only
to grub out
vsto grub up
  • UK
6.9

To dig up roots or stumps from the ground

has identical meaning but differs only in phrasing or particle form

Antonyms

to plant
361 1.0

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

to sow
45 1.8

To plant seeds in the ground so they grow

How Thorough

to excavate
28 5.8
to grub up
  • UK
7.7
to dig up
139 2.0
to pull up
111 3.2

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

grub + up

The verb 'grub' means to dig and the particle 'up' conveys removal or completion, so the combined sense 'to dig up/remove from the ground' is directly derivable from the constituents. This motion/particle composition is a common and predictable English pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

The verb grub up comes from the simple image of digging out plants or tree stumps: the word grub means to dig and up shows pulling them out of the ground. So grub up means 'to dig up' or 'remove' something from the ground.