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
Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 27 May 2026
Most fights consist of dealing with waves of basic grunts with the occasional bruiser or shooter thrown in to keep you on edge.
—Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 26 May 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
As for grunt, Angelique is powered by a pair of MTU 12V4000 M65L that let the yacht dart to a top speed of 17 knots.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 27 May 2026
Most fights consist of dealing with waves of basic grunts with the occasional bruiser or shooter thrown in to keep you on edge.
—Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 26 May 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 28 May. 2026.
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