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
Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 23 Nov. 2025
But the gearbox sending all that grunt to the rear axle will be as much of a selling point for some street truck buffs out there.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 11 Nov. 2025
Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Nov. 2025
There are grunts of impatience, especially when a goalkeeper — United’s or an opponent’s — holds onto the ball for too long.
—Andy Mitten, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grunt
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Verb
Vocal tics can include grunting or barking, and complex, but less common, vocal tics include using vulgar or swear words, repeating others’ or one’s own words or phrases.
—Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 23 Nov. 2025
But the gearbox sending all that grunt to the rear axle will be as much of a selling point for some street truck buffs out there.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 11 Nov. 2025
Noun
One wag at the end of the table says that computer science is no longer the ticket to riches, too much vibe coding and artificial intelligence, then another says that management consulting is over, the AI grunts will do the basic MBA work.
—Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Nov. 2025
There are grunts of impatience, especially when a goalkeeper — United’s or an opponent’s — holds onto the ball for too long.
—Andy Mitten, New York Times, 19 Nov. 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 29 Nov. 2025.
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