Illustration of grunt
- grunt 2
grunted; grunting; grunts
: to utter a grunt
He didn't answer, only grunted.
: to utter with a grunt
"No," he grunted.
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
Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 10 Apr. 2026
As the group hopped and grunted, Keuilian strode through the room with a video crew, shooting a Squire promo (two takes).
—Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Daryl Baxter, Space.com, 14 Apr. 2026
The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader reported that the family also experienced foul odors and heard pig grunts in the home.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grunt
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Verb
Before the splashy announcement came years of behind-the-scenes grunt work.
—Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 10 Apr. 2026
As the group hopped and grunted, Keuilian strode through the room with a video crew, shooting a Squire promo (two takes).
—Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Noun
Teal'c takes out some frustrations on an unlucky grunt who bangs him with a door at the start of every time loop, and O'Neill gets to (temporarily) sample the will-they side of his will-they-won't-they relationship with Carter.
—Daryl Baxter, Space.com, 14 Apr. 2026
The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader reported that the family also experienced foul odors and heard pig grunts in the home.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grunt
Cite this Entry
“Grunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grunt. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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