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
Nick Geisler, The Atlantic, 30 Dec. 2025
Larkin grunted and said nothing.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 10 Dec. 2025
Dan Pompei, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
As for grunt, the new biz jet gets its juice from a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PW545D engines, allowing the aircraft to dart to a max speed of 441 knots.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grunt
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Verb
The problem is that entry-level creative jobs are much more than grunt work.
—Nick Geisler, The Atlantic, 30 Dec. 2025
Larkin grunted and said nothing.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 10 Dec. 2025
Noun
Wrestlers are rewarded for greater effort, more force and louder grunts.
—Dan Pompei, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
As for grunt, the new biz jet gets its juice from a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PW545D engines, allowing the aircraft to dart to a max speed of 441 knots.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 7 Jan. 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 10 Jan. 2026.
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