elbow grease
noun
: hard work
There is just no substitution for the elbow grease involved in promotion. You just have to get out there and work hard to get the word to the stores that the book is available.—
Andy Shafran
Andy Shafran
especially
: vigorously applied physical labor or effort
Best of all, the metal handle is bendable, making it easy to defat liquids of varying depths. Kudos to a kitchen tool that spares elbow grease. —Grace Young
Grace Young Examples of elbow grease in a Sentence
It's going to take some elbow grease to get this counter clean.
with a little polish and a lot of elbow grease, I was able to make the old silver teapot shine again
Recent Examples on the Web
Along with all the elbow grease the pair have to put into each project, viewers will see the tearjerking moments that come with every big reveal.
—Natalia Senanayake, People.com, 24 July 2025
Where are the accounts of countless hard-working business owners and employees who, at their own expense and with their own elbow grease, repeatedly remove the results of these constant acts of malicious vandalism?
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 16 June 2025
With just a few supplies and some elbow grease, your ice maker will be back to producing fresh, clean ice in no time.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 9 July 2025
Plus, take the elbow grease out of scrubbing hard surfaces and opt for this electric spin scrubber that’s 42 percent off.
—Isabel Garcia, People.com, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for elbow grease
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Natalia Senanayake, People.com, 24 July 2025
Where are the accounts of countless hard-working business owners and employees who, at their own expense and with their own elbow grease, repeatedly remove the results of these constant acts of malicious vandalism?
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 16 June 2025
With just a few supplies and some elbow grease, your ice maker will be back to producing fresh, clean ice in no time.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 9 July 2025
Plus, take the elbow grease out of scrubbing hard surfaces and opt for this electric spin scrubber that’s 42 percent off.
—Isabel Garcia, People.com, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for elbow grease
Cite this Entry
“Elbow grease.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elbow%20grease. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share