1
: a thin porridge
2
3
: something that lacks substance or significance
The argument was thin gruel.
Examples of gruel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But in terms of its actual content, the statement was pretty thin gruel, bristling with public relations-style circumlocution and vagueness.
—
Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
What lies ahead can’t possibly be worse, however, than the embarrassing false starts, the constant churn of organizational dysfunction and the thin, hopeless gruel that Vancouver has served up over the past decade.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Ultimately, Yam Yam, Colton, and Caroline were the ones who earned the shields, and Michael (a bowl of gruel with eyeballs) doesn’t understand how that was decided.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
However, there was thin gruel in today’s budget, with scant mention for the TV and film industry or for institutions like the BBC, which has been in turmoil these past weeks.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gruel
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Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
What lies ahead can’t possibly be worse, however, than the embarrassing false starts, the constant churn of organizational dysfunction and the thin, hopeless gruel that Vancouver has served up over the past decade.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Ultimately, Yam Yam, Colton, and Caroline were the ones who earned the shields, and Michael (a bowl of gruel with eyeballs) doesn’t understand how that was decided.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
However, there was thin gruel in today’s budget, with scant mention for the TV and film industry or for institutions like the BBC, which has been in turmoil these past weeks.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gruel
Cite this Entry
“Gruel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gruel. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gruel
noun
gru·el
ˈgrü-əl 
: a thin food made by boiling cereal (as oatmeal or cornmeal) in water or milk
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