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
Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Neither one of these people appears to be enjoying themselves, but the woman soon begins to grunt with the bestial upset of a werewolf under a full moon.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 18 May 2026
Ben Church, CNN Money, 9 June 2026
The full-aluminum superyacht gets its grunt from four MTU 2000 M96L engines, which also it to hit the water at 30 knots.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for grunt
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Verb
Hippos grunt and grumble in the shallows, crocodiles sunbathe on sandbanks, elephants appear along the banks, while fish eagles call overhead as sunset approaches.
—Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Neither one of these people appears to be enjoying themselves, but the woman soon begins to grunt with the bestial upset of a werewolf under a full moon.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 18 May 2026
Noun
The second shot was an aggressive volley that was just about returned, but her third saw Williams swat the return volley away, accompanied by that trademark grunt that’s echoed around tennis venues for decades.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 9 June 2026
The full-aluminum superyacht gets its grunt from four MTU 2000 M96L engines, which also it to hit the water at 30 knots.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 4 June 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 Jun. 2026.
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