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

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

• beef
• bellyache
• bitch
• bleat
• carp
• caterwaul
• complain
• crab
• croak
• fuss
• gripe
• grizzle
• grouch
• grouse
• growl
• grump
• holler
• inveigh
• keen
• kick
• kvetch
• maunder [chiefly British]
• moan
• murmur
• mutter
• nag
• repine
• scream
• squawk
• squeal
• wail
• whimper
• whine
• whinge [British]
• yammer
• yawp
• yaup
• yowl

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

Silver customers grumbled about the shipping of the coins, saying the cases were unsealed, letting the coins fall out and, in some cases, get scratched. —Chris Morris, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024

With Singapore the only Southeast Asian stop on the tour — something that caused no end of grumbling from its neighbors — fans from China to Malaysia have flocked to the city-state. —Regine Cabato, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024

Residents grumbled, and before too long more than 30 states came up with workarounds. —Tara Siegel Bernard, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024

Spurred by investigative journalist reports, many people in Hungary have for years grumbled about the wealth of people like Lorinc Meszaros, once a penniless pipe fitter from Mr. Orban’s home village who is now one of the country’s richest men. —Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024

This sent the audience into the lobby at intermission grumbling. —Mary Norris, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024

In the meantime, consumers continue to grumble about persistently high prices for everything from houses to burgers. —J.j. McCorvey, NBC News, 17 Mar. 2024

But the long-term pattern points to stability if not higher prices, even when everyone seems to be grumbling about their political opponents. Reach the reporter at [e-mail]. —The Arizona Republic, 7 Jan. 2024

Fans are grumbling about the state of the program, but that’s not new, either. —Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2024

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

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