How to Use elbow grease in a Sentence

elbow grease

noun
Definition of elbow greasenext
Synonyms for elbow greasenext
  • It's going to take some elbow grease to get this counter clean.
  • So chill out during and avoid the urge to bring on the elbow grease.
    — Marygrace Taylor, SELF, 12 Oct. 2022
  • But there is a bit of elbow grease that needs to be added to the equation.
    — Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 11 Aug. 2023
  • That’s where the thought, planning and elbow grease come in.
    — kansascity, 20 Dec. 2017
  • Back to the basics This bread takes time and elbow grease.
    — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 20 Nov. 2019
  • Or, use some elbow grease and dig weeds up to remove the roots.
    — Arricca Elin Sansone, House Beautiful, 15 Apr. 2021
  • Some songs take a lot of elbow grease, but this was done in two or three days.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 21 July 2023
  • And some hair did get stuck in the brush roller, which took elbow grease to remove.
    — Alida Nugent, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Nov. 2023
  • Geer moved in and dug in, armed with plenty of elbow grease.
    — Janice Steinhagen, Courant Community, 10 May 2018
  • In a pinch, good old-fashioned soap, water and elbow grease will do the trick.
    — cleveland, 6 June 2020
  • Then, using a knee kicker or a lot of elbow grease, the carpet is stretched over the top of the Z-bar.
    — Sarah Baird, House Beautiful, 14 Sep. 2020
  • But, with the right products and a little elbow grease, you can get rid of those pesky fleas for good.
    — Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 16 Oct. 2022
  • This little kitchen trick could save you tons of elbow grease.
    — Sasha Henriques, Woman's Day, 18 Aug. 2015
  • Save the elbow grease and use a dryer sheet on the stubborn food residue instead.
    — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2023
  • Of course, lots of elbow grease will now be in order to get the house and gardens back in order.
    — Cori Brown, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 27 Mar. 2021
  • If not, a little extra elbow grease should do the trick.
    — Norman Becker, Popular Mechanics, 21 Apr. 2021
  • Put in elbow grease: Louis Hunter mashes the yams in his sweet potato pie by hand.
    — Sharyn Jackson, Star Tribune, 18 Nov. 2020
  • Put coffee grounds in, pour hot water, and use some elbow grease to squeeze out a cup.
    — Field & Stream, 23 Nov. 2020
  • Use a microfiber cleaning cloth and some elbow grease to start.
    — Simon Hill, Wired, 8 Feb. 2022
  • Just grab the right supplies (and a little elbow grease) to get started.
    — Lauren Smith McDonough and Carolyn Forte, Good Housekeeping, 20 Jan. 2021
  • The Greenwood District was rebuilt, mostly with the same elbow grease and grit that built it the first time.
    — Maria C. Hunt, House Beautiful, 1 June 2021
  • Keeping your phone clean isn’t hard with the right supplies and a little bit of elbow grease.
    — Kim Komando, USA TODAY, 11 Aug. 2022
  • Save your salt for your sidewalks, and rely on elbow grease to get your car clean.
    — Emily Price, Popular Science, 17 Dec. 2020
  • Place the second paper on top, butter-side down, then press out the nougat with a rolling pin and a lot of elbow grease.
    — Washington Post, 3 Dec. 2019
  • Thanks to all their elbow grease and strategic shopping, the couple was able to keep costs way down.
    — Michelle Higgins, New York Times, 15 May 2018
  • This definitely requires some care and elbow grease, but the results proved to be the best of the bunch.
    — Collin Morgan and Jon Langston, Car and Driver, 16 Sep. 2022
  • The doors tend to stick, requiring a certain amount of elbow grease in order to get in or out.
    — Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2024
  • Her Rotarians had not just written her a check but came and put in the elbow grease to get the job done.
    — David Taylor, Houston Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2018
  • Pick up a box and use once per month for clean water bottles without the elbow grease.
    — Bon Appétit, 12 Jan. 2022
  • In addition, this recipe uses a blender to blend the crepe batter together, so there’s little cleanup involved and even less elbow grease.
    — Julia Levy, Southern Living, 8 Apr. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'elbow grease.' 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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