Meaning & use
grubber
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablesport
In rugby, a low kick that sends the ball bouncing and rolling along the ground.
Grammar: Countable: a grubber, two grubbers. Often used with 'kick'.
Patterns
- kick a grubber
- a grubber kick
He kicked a grubber into the corner and the winger chased it.
The fly-half's grubber bounced awkwardly and went into touch.
A well-placed grubber can turn defense into attack.
nouncountableraredialect
A person who digs or searches for something, especially root vegetables.
Grammar: Countable, but rare in modern English except in historical or dialect contexts.
Patterns
- a grubber in the field
The grubber spent the morning digging up potatoes.
In the old days, a grubber would search for edible roots in the forest.
Word forms
| plural | grubbers |
|---|
Common combinations
- grubber kick
- The fullback fielded the grubber kick and cleared the ball.
- kick a grubber
- He decided to kick a grubber instead of passing.
- chase a grubber
- The winger chased a grubber into the in-goal area.
Synonyms and how they differ
- low kick
- A general term for any kick that stays low; 'grubber' is more specific to rugby.
- ground kick
- Not a standard term; 'grubber' is the usual word in rugby.
Word family
Commonly confused: grubber or grub?
grubber vs grub
As a noun, 'grub' means food or an insect larva; 'grubber' is a person or a rugby kick.
Practice
In rugby, what is a grubber?
Choose one answer.
A grubber is a low kick that rolls along the ground, so option 1 is correct. Option 0 is wrong because a scrum is a formation, not a kick. Option 2 is a literal but incorrect interpretation. Option 3 is the opposite of a grubber.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “grubber”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.