Illustration of grunt
- grunt 2
grunted; grunting; grunts
: to utter a grunt
: to utter with a grunt
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
Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
But young Fraser barely grunts under the punishment, then puts his shirt back on and goes to see how Julia is doing.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 5 Sep. 2025
Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 18 Sep. 2025
All that grunt is split between all four wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grunt
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Verb
Ohtani grunted his way through the trouble, emptying the tank to keep a zero on the board.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
But young Fraser barely grunts under the punishment, then puts his shirt back on and goes to see how Julia is doing.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
Taylor Raddysh signed a two-year, $3 million contract over the summer to add some of those elements, but are the young players vying for a spot on the opposite wing — Brett Berard, Brennan Othmann and Gabe Perreault — ready to simplify their games and embrace the grunt work?
—Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 18 Sep. 2025
All that grunt is split between all four wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grunt
Cite this Entry
“Grunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grunt. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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