as in effort
the active use of energy in producing a result
with a little polish and a lot of elbow grease, I was able to make the old silver teapot shine again
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Recent Examples of elbow grease
Put your elbow grease toward the upper bounds versus the lower bounds.
—
Lance Eliot, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024
Stubborn sap can be removed from pruners and other tools with Goo Gone or similar products and a little elbow grease.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Dec. 2024
A lot of elbow grease and hard work will be necessary to get our ducks lined up for AGI.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
Unlike traditional mascaras—with pigments that can smudge, flake, and take some elbow grease to remove—tubing mascaras contain polymers that coat lashes without smudging and come off easily in warm water.
—Allure Editors, Allure, 1 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for elbow grease 
Lance Eliot, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024
Stubborn sap can be removed from pruners and other tools with Goo Gone or similar products and a little elbow grease.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Dec. 2024
A lot of elbow grease and hard work will be necessary to get our ducks lined up for AGI.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
Unlike traditional mascaras—with pigments that can smudge, flake, and take some elbow grease to remove—tubing mascaras contain polymers that coat lashes without smudging and come off easily in warm water.
—Allure Editors, Allure, 1 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for elbow grease
Thesaurus Entries Near elbow grease
Cite this Entry
“Elbow grease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elbow%20grease. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
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