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
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.
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Allure Editors, Allure, 1 Dec. 2024
Grab this KitchenAid stand mixer to whip up dough without any elbow grease from you and your wooden spoons.
—Clara McMahon, People.com, 28 Nov. 2024
Younger businesses can counter missteps through a much nimbler mix of ingenuity and elbow grease, but nothing beats simply avoiding them by mapping possible pitfalls in advance.
—Allbusiness, Forbes, 19 Nov. 2024
This part might require a little more TCL and elbow grease, so plan and prepare accordingly.
—Cody Godwin, USA TODAY, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for elbow grease 
Allure Editors, Allure, 1 Dec. 2024
Grab this KitchenAid stand mixer to whip up dough without any elbow grease from you and your wooden spoons.
—Clara McMahon, People.com, 28 Nov. 2024
Younger businesses can counter missteps through a much nimbler mix of ingenuity and elbow grease, but nothing beats simply avoiding them by mapping possible pitfalls in advance.
—Allbusiness, Forbes, 19 Nov. 2024
This part might require a little more TCL and elbow grease, so plan and prepare accordingly.
—Cody Godwin, USA TODAY, 31 Oct. 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 18 Jan. 2025.
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