grumbled; grumbling
ˈgrəm-b(ə-)liŋ 
1
: to mutter in discontent
grumbled about the scarcity of jobs
: to express with grumbling
grumbled his annoyance
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
Radiohead’s European run — hitting Madrid, Bologna, London, Copenhagen, and Berlin — was a triumph, aside from some scattered grumbling about the in-the-round stage setup and descending screens that sometimes obscured the band early on.
—
Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2026
Worshippers show up a half hour early to claim seats, and some longtime congregants have grumbled about the intern influx.
—Tara Palmeri, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
Bisciotti’s conversations with players came on the heels of a season when there was far more locker room grumbling about Harbaugh and other coaches than in previous years.
—Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026
Trump in remarks before a House Republican retreat in Washington grumbled that Democrats were not giving him credit for a successful military operation, even though there was bipartisan agreement that Maduro was not the rightful president of Venezuela.
—Regina Garcia Cano, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grumble
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Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2026
Worshippers show up a half hour early to claim seats, and some longtime congregants have grumbled about the intern influx.
—Tara Palmeri, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
Bisciotti’s conversations with players came on the heels of a season when there was far more locker room grumbling about Harbaugh and other coaches than in previous years.
—Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026
Trump in remarks before a House Republican retreat in Washington grumbled that Democrats were not giving him credit for a successful military operation, even though there was bipartisan agreement that Maduro was not the rightful president of Venezuela.
—Regina Garcia Cano, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grumble
Cite this Entry
“Grumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grumble. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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