grumble

verb

grum·​ble ˈgrəm-bəl 

grumbled; grumbling ˈgrəm-b(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: to mutter in discontent

grumbled about the scarcity of jobs

2

: growl, rumble

My stomach is grumbling.

Thunder grumbled in the distance.

transitive verb

: to express with grumbling

grumbled his annoyance

grumble noun

grumbler

ˈgrəm-b(ə-)lər 

noun

grumbly

ˈgrəm-b(ə-)lē 

adjective

Synonyms of grumble

• complain
• scream
• whine
• moan

Examples of grumble in a Sentence

There's been a lot of grumbling among the employees.

Some of the customers have been grumbling about poor service.

Fans grumbled about the team's poor play.

“When are we going to leave?” he grumbled.

We could hear thunder grumbling in the distance.

Recent Examples on the Web

When his teams didn’t entertain, Moe became the show, this cursing, grumbling, rumpled 6-foot-5 firebrand who dressed like a ’70s private detective, a disheveled anti-hero who detested suits. —Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 18 Feb. 2026

Trump has grumbled about the pace of implementation of a similar deal with South Korea, a key competitor with Japan on auto manufacturing, and threatened to increase tariffs once again. —Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026

As a result, many in the baseball world have grumbled and groaned about the massive spending Los Angeles is doing on the open market. —Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 16 Feb. 2026

Shepherd grumbles after a student calls a low pitch a strike. —Katie Woo, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

probably from Middle French grommeler, ultimately from Middle Dutch grommen; akin to Old High German grimm grim

First Known Use

1580, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Rhymes for grumble

• bumble
• crumble
• fumble
• humble
• jumble
• mumble
• rumble
• stumble
• tumble
• umbel

Kids Definition

grumble

verb

grum·​ble ˈgrəm-bəl 

grumbled; grumbling -b(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to mutter in discontent

2

: rumble entry 1

grumble noun

grumbler

-b(ə-)lər 

noun

grumblingly

-ˌb(ə-)liŋ-lē 

adverb