Illustration of grunt
- grunt 2
grunted; grunting; grunts
: to utter a grunt
: to utter with a grunt
grunter
noun
plural grunts
1
a
: the deep short sound characteristic of a hog
b
: a similar sound
2
[from the noise it makes when taken from the water]
: any of a family (Haemulidae synonym Pomadasyidae) of chiefly tropical marine bony fishes
3
: a dessert made by dropping biscuit dough on top of boiling berries and steaming
blueberry grunt
4
a
: a U.S. army or marine foot soldier especially in the Vietnam War
b
: one who does routine unglamorous work
—often used attributively
grunt work
Examples of grunt in a Sentence
Verb
The workers were grunting with effort as they lifted the heavy furniture.
She grunted a few words in reply, then turned and walked away.
Noun
the grunt of a pig
I could hear the grunts of the movers as they lifted the heavy furniture.
He answered her with a grunt.
He was a grunt who worked his way up to become an officer.
He's just a grunt in the attorney's office.
Recent Examples on the Web
Zuzana Říhová, Literary Hub, 26 Sep. 2025
The red hind grouper (Epinephelus guttatus) is big on grunting.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 18 Sep. 2025
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 24 Sep. 2025
In terms of grunt, the new vessel will be powered by a hybrid propulsion system mated with twin MTU engines, which have a battery capacity of up to 1,920kWh.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grunt
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Verb
Marcela grunted into her glass.
—Zuzana Říhová, Literary Hub, 26 Sep. 2025
The red hind grouper (Epinephelus guttatus) is big on grunting.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
So the grunts up front are succeeding, but the running backs are failing?
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 24 Sep. 2025
In terms of grunt, the new vessel will be powered by a hybrid propulsion system mated with twin MTU engines, which have a battery capacity of up to 1,920kWh.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grunt
Cite this Entry
“Grunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grunt. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.
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