How to Use grubby in a Sentence

grubby

adjective
Definition of grubbynext
Synonyms for grubbynext
  • He lives in a grubby little apartment.
  • Everybody’s got some grubby work to do, it’s not the end-all of life.
    — Washington Post, 9 May 2022
  • But in the grubby bazaar of politician-buying, the NRA is a bit player.
    — Jonah Goldberg, National Review, 6 Oct. 2017
  • Style him in grubby cowboy clothes and long hair and tell him to shoot dead the pristine John Wayne.
    — Matt Goulet, Esquire, 18 Sep. 2017
  • The refugees come to terms with their grubby existence.
    — Hugh Hunter, Philly.com, 27 Feb. 2018
  • So my main goal here is for the Gators to keep their grubby mitts off our budding Belichick.
    — David Whitley, OrlandoSentinel.com, 2 Nov. 2017
  • All that money-raising and all those grubby hands to shake.
    — Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 19 Jan. 2018
  • This is a grubby land grab with just about as much sordidness of the Teapot Dome affair.
    — Tim Hogan, The Denver Post, 31 Jan. 2020
  • Admittedly, those hands are sticky and grubby, but it’s the thought that counts.
    — Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2020
  • Looks pretty grubby and in need of a Freddie Mercury, but why not?
    — Dave Holmes, Esquire, 20 May 2015
  • But at the same time, the lobby smelled like a bathroom, and the bathrooms themselves were as grubby as a highway rest stop.
    — Mike Sutter, ExpressNews.com, 2 Jan. 2020
  • Tape and grips start out all sparkly clean but get grubby pretty quick.
    — Joe Lindsey, Outside Online, 17 July 2021
  • The drive to Oakland passes in a dream of sunshine and grubby rest areas and Starbucks.
    — Claire Dederer, New York Times, 25 Sep. 2022
  • When our hands were too grubby to accept a stick of gum, Eva went around and placed a piece in each of our mouths like a communion wafer.
    — Sonya Bennett-Brandt, WIRED, 22 Dec. 2022
  • This president simply moved the rock and gave light and air to all the nasty, grubby things underneath.
    — Jason Johnson, The Root, 16 Aug. 2017
  • Manson starts the ‘60s as a grubby little inmate whose rap sheet—prison buggery aside—is a bunch of crap.
    — Matt Thompson, Spin, 10 Sep. 2023
  • Outside, a half-dozen grubby children crowded around a cooking fire, some of them naked from the waist down.
    — Ty McCormick, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2018
  • The idea that the players themselves are grubby and selfish mostly comes from Donald and Methven.
    — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 1 Apr. 2020
  • And through it all, for two decades, a so-ugly-he’s-cute saber-toothed squirrel has been trying to get his grubby mitts on an acorn.
    — Perseverance Apr. 14, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2022
  • The grubby world Ray inhabits looks like ours, but the details are slightly skewed.
    — Kate Knibbs, Wired, 25 Feb. 2021
  • Ever get the urge to scurry around cities and fight the patriarchy with your grubby little hands?
    — Haley Strack, National Review, 11 Aug. 2023
  • Gel polish, on the other hand, is more porous, which explains why bright whites and light pinks tend to look grubby with wear.
    — Sophie Wirt, Glamour, 21 Nov. 2022
  • Washing your grubby mitts is one of the all-time best ways to cut your chances of getting sick and spreading harmful germs to others.
    — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 6 Apr. 2018
  • For beating the tabloids, Mr. Mosley became a hero to many celebrities who felt their privacy had been breached by the grubby side of the media.
    — Washington Post, 27 May 2021
  • The tender message is accompanied with a photo of the couple’s grubby feet, framed by waves rolling in on the beach.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 8 Oct. 2020
  • My daughter’s puffy pink Sears booster seat was grubby.
    — Monica Drake, Longreads, 19 Oct. 2017
  • With a powerfully raw script and a gritty aesthetic, the film captured two men at the end of their grubby ropes.
    — Debby Wolfinsohn, EW.com, 11 Apr. 2023
  • As for the 2JetZ—the very small fighter jet/auto combo should hit kids’ grubby, outstretched hands in November.
    — Aarian Marshall, WIRED, 4 June 2019
  • That fashion vibe, slightly disheveled and grungy, is nothing new for Bieber, of course; The pop star has been perfecting the art of being artfully grubby for years.
    — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 2 July 2024
  • This grubby but remarkable bird, badly in need of a bath and some peace, has a difficult time tuning out Earth’s perpetual chorus of lamentation.
    — Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grubby.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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