as in muttering
speech that is not clear enough to be understood
says he talks in his sleep, but really it's just snorts and grunting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in mumbling
to speak softly and unclearly
was so absorbed with the video game that when asked what he wanted for dinner, he just grunted
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of grunting
Delbert L. Chears,
Outdoor Life,
5 Mar. 2026
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
Once their tray was stuffed with Terry Black’s brisket, pork ribs, dino ribs, sausage and turkey, Heder and Ramirez both carried the tray off the table, grunting.
—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Mar. 2026
Immediately as Silva got out of his SUV, he was shot in the hand and soon after in the head, grunting and groaning in pain as blood spatter suddenly appeared on his uniform sleeve.
—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2026
Planet Fitness once made a point of banning denim in the gym, along with grunting, dropping dumbbells, and judging others.
—
Daniel Engber,
The Atlantic,
20 Feb. 2026
Vile — lots of climbing, groping, grabbing, grunting and dirt.
—
Linda Perillo,
New York Daily News,
8 Feb. 2026
People are well outnumbered by the humpbacks and pods of orcas, bald eagles and herons, seals and sea lions grunting their tone-deaf tunes atop the rocks.
—
Laura Dannen Redman,
Robb Report,
5 Dec. 2025
There are up to 20,000 rabid people raining down their emotions from all angles, a dozen sticks clattering, two dozen skates carving, all those burly bodies bumping into each other and banging into the boards, plus an endless stream of screaming and grunting and cursing.
—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
The red hind grouper (Epinephelus guttatus) is big on grunting.
—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
By pulling this string, the locals made an amplified grunting noise similar to that of a jaguar.
—
Delbert L. Chears,
Outdoor Life,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
Roaring and grunting, his body sleek with blood and sweat, Conan tussles and grapples with a series of opponents, dominating them all, while an audience of torch-wielding vulgarians shouts and howls at the pit’s lip.
—
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
Once their tray was stuffed with Terry Black’s brisket, pork ribs, dino ribs, sausage and turkey, Heder and Ramirez both carried the tray off the table, grunting.
—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Mar. 2026
Immediately as Silva got out of his SUV, he was shot in the hand and soon after in the head, grunting and groaning in pain as blood spatter suddenly appeared on his uniform sleeve.
—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2026
Planet Fitness once made a point of banning denim in the gym, along with grunting, dropping dumbbells, and judging others.
—
Daniel Engber,
The Atlantic,
20 Feb. 2026
Vile — lots of climbing, groping, grabbing, grunting and dirt.
—
Linda Perillo,
New York Daily News,
8 Feb. 2026
People are well outnumbered by the humpbacks and pods of orcas, bald eagles and herons, seals and sea lions grunting their tone-deaf tunes atop the rocks.
—
Laura Dannen Redman,
Robb Report,
5 Dec. 2025
There are up to 20,000 rabid people raining down their emotions from all angles, a dozen sticks clattering, two dozen skates carving, all those burly bodies bumping into each other and banging into the boards, plus an endless stream of screaming and grunting and cursing.
—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
The red hind grouper (Epinephelus guttatus) is big on grunting.
—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
18 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grunting
Noun
-
The opportunity to send a raucous Bell Centre crowd home muttering was there in Game 3.
Verb
-
Gilbert, now imprisoned at Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York, appeared gaunt and withdrawn during the interview, at times mumbling short responses before abruptly cutting the conversation short.
-
McKellen can make a terrific meal out of just a few grunts and groans, spending whole scenes mumbling about nothing in particular; meanwhile, Coel comes across as impenetrable, yet alluringly so.
Noun
-
Researchers and Nonprofits Leading the Way Before AI can be deployed against climate change at scale, someone has to do the grunt work of building the field — mapping the problems, funding the research, and connecting scientists with engineers.
-
From a grunt to a poem, Robin just has such a sweetness to it.
Verb
-
Or at least squeezed in a solid couch nap with baseball/golf/soccer/primo history programming murmuring in the background.
-
Alejo listens carefully, occasionally offering a tissue or murmuring consolations.
Noun
-
Six mutters and sighs and rolls his head as if profoundly exasperated.
Noun
-
Theories, speculation and whispers were hard to ignore, but even harder to prove.
-
The whispers about the 41-year-old turned louder.
Cite this Entry
“Grunting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grunting. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
