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
Synonyms
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
Rob Stein, NPR, 29 Feb. 2024
But just as your eyes begin to glaze over watching Wahlberg and his co-stars sweating and grunting their way across the jungle, someone comes along to save the movie.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024
As visiting royal Karl Lagerfeld looked on, Alice caught the baby, which grunted violently.
—Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 28 Feb. 2024
Sasquatch Sunset made headlines last month as one of the weirdest films to premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival — a strange and completely dialogue-free story about a grunting family of Bigfoots.
—Devan Coggan, EW.com, 13 Feb. 2024
Sasquatch Sunset Photo: Courtesy Square Peg Jesse Eisenberg also features in this zany gem, from David and Nathan Zellner, as a hairy, grunting Sasquatch—the mythical creature also known as Bigfoot—opposite the always excellent Riley Keough.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 16 Jan. 2024
Cassowaries communicate through various sounds, from hissing to whistling to grunting to even booming.
—Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024
Onlookers grunt disapprovingly, angry at the noise.
—Sophie Neiman, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Dec. 2023
Symptoms may include poor feeding, irritability, temperature changes, jaundice, grunting breaths and abnormal movements.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 31 Dec. 2023
Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 14 May 2024
All Gosling can eke out is a small grunt/sigh that will basically knock the air right out of your lungs.
—Meredith Woerner, Variety, 4 May 2024
Someone who can appreciate the grunts as well as the officers, despite an incredibly large ego, which is necessary for true greatness..
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2024
But the sounds — a booming blend of roars and grunts — can end up attracting unwanted attention from other males, too.
—Annalisa Merelli, STAT, 2 May 2024
The husband woke with a grunt, in an instant alert, vigilant.
—Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
The purrs, croaks, and grunts of fish and crustaceans that live there and the sounds of healthy coral growing can echo through the water.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 14 Mar. 2024
The deer ran to 20 yards, and again, Garrett tried again to stop them with a grunt.
—Hayden Sammak, Outdoor Life, 4 Jan. 2024
Once on the brink of extinction, elephant seals are expanding north into new breeding grounds along the California coast, turning long-empty beaches into a ruckus of roars, grunts, chirps and moans.
—Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024
Verb
Inside, the air is filled with the sound of snorting, grunting, squealing pigs and piglets.
—Rob Stein, NPR, 29 Feb. 2024
But just as your eyes begin to glaze over watching Wahlberg and his co-stars sweating and grunting their way across the jungle, someone comes along to save the movie.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024
As visiting royal Karl Lagerfeld looked on, Alice caught the baby, which grunted violently.
—Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 28 Feb. 2024
Sasquatch Sunset made headlines last month as one of the weirdest films to premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival — a strange and completely dialogue-free story about a grunting family of Bigfoots.
—Devan Coggan, EW.com, 13 Feb. 2024
Sasquatch Sunset Photo: Courtesy Square Peg Jesse Eisenberg also features in this zany gem, from David and Nathan Zellner, as a hairy, grunting Sasquatch—the mythical creature also known as Bigfoot—opposite the always excellent Riley Keough.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 16 Jan. 2024
Cassowaries communicate through various sounds, from hissing to whistling to grunting to even booming.
—Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024
Onlookers grunt disapprovingly, angry at the noise.
—Sophie Neiman, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Dec. 2023
Symptoms may include poor feeding, irritability, temperature changes, jaundice, grunting breaths and abnormal movements.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 31 Dec. 2023
Noun
If that’s not enough grunt, an optional generator can provide an additional 180 kW of electrical power.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 14 May 2024
All Gosling can eke out is a small grunt/sigh that will basically knock the air right out of your lungs.
—Meredith Woerner, Variety, 4 May 2024
Someone who can appreciate the grunts as well as the officers, despite an incredibly large ego, which is necessary for true greatness..
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2024
But the sounds — a booming blend of roars and grunts — can end up attracting unwanted attention from other males, too.
—Annalisa Merelli, STAT, 2 May 2024
The husband woke with a grunt, in an instant alert, vigilant.
—Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
The purrs, croaks, and grunts of fish and crustaceans that live there and the sounds of healthy coral growing can echo through the water.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 14 Mar. 2024
The deer ran to 20 yards, and again, Garrett tried again to stop them with a grunt.
—Hayden Sammak, Outdoor Life, 4 Jan. 2024
Once on the brink of extinction, elephant seals are expanding north into new breeding grounds along the California coast, turning long-empty beaches into a ruckus of roars, grunts, chirps and moans.
—Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grunt.' 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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Cite this Entry
“Grunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grunt. Accessed 18 May. 2024.
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