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
David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 18 May 2026
Before the splashy announcement came years of behind-the-scenes grunt work.
—Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 10 Apr. 2026
Stephen King, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026
All that grunt is routed to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic transmission.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for grunt
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Verb
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
Before the splashy announcement came years of behind-the-scenes grunt work.
—Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 10 Apr. 2026
Noun
Morris plopped her into her chair with a grunt of relief and pulled out the sunshade.
—Stephen King, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026
All that grunt is routed to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic transmission.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 14 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 21 May. 2026.
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