1
as in complained
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
he grumbled about how sore his feet were after standing all day
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Recent Examples of grumbled
The novel, published to immediate controversy in India—an obscenity suit was filed over its portrayal of an intercaste romance—offended her Syrian Christian kin, who grumbled about misrepresentation.
—
Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2025
At those, Democrats restless about their party’s direction grumbled at Levin’s answers and urged more action from their leaders; one event was disrupted by protests over Israel’s killing of Palestinians in Gaza.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
The Arizona Republic last week reported that teammates and others in the organization have quietly grumbled about Marte’s habit of requesting off days.
—Doug Haller, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
Some loyalists grumbled for months about skimpy chicken portions.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2025
For decades, Yankees players, for the most part, grumbled but complied.
—Marc Edelman, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
The Bruins fell to non-basketball powers like Nebraska and Rutgers, as well as Maryland and Michigan, all while fifth-year coach Mick Cronin grumbled about Big Ten travel and the absurdity of spending nearly 10 days straight back east.
—Lindsay Schnell, The Athletic, 5 Feb. 2025
Tarp quipped that Queen initially grumbled at the abundance of exercises, but has since engaged in them without any prompting from Tarp.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 5 Jan. 2025
Some members of the conservative Arizona Freedom Caucus publicly grumbled after he was selected to lead the chamber by secret ballot.
—Ray Stern, The Arizona Republic, 3 Jan. 2025
Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2025
At those, Democrats restless about their party’s direction grumbled at Levin’s answers and urged more action from their leaders; one event was disrupted by protests over Israel’s killing of Palestinians in Gaza.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
The Arizona Republic last week reported that teammates and others in the organization have quietly grumbled about Marte’s habit of requesting off days.
—Doug Haller, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
Some loyalists grumbled for months about skimpy chicken portions.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2025
For decades, Yankees players, for the most part, grumbled but complied.
—Marc Edelman, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
The Bruins fell to non-basketball powers like Nebraska and Rutgers, as well as Maryland and Michigan, all while fifth-year coach Mick Cronin grumbled about Big Ten travel and the absurdity of spending nearly 10 days straight back east.
—Lindsay Schnell, The Athletic, 5 Feb. 2025
Tarp quipped that Queen initially grumbled at the abundance of exercises, but has since engaged in them without any prompting from Tarp.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 5 Jan. 2025
Some members of the conservative Arizona Freedom Caucus publicly grumbled after he was selected to lead the chamber by secret ballot.
—Ray Stern, The Arizona Republic, 3 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grumbled
Verb
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Prosecutors describe the laws as an invaluable tool against would-be attackers, but civil liberties groups have long complained of overreach.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
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Advertisement The panel has already obtained roughly 33,000 pages of records from the Justice Department, though Democrats have complained those disclosures contained little new information.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Steve Jobs screamed from time to time as self-therapy.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
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The symbolism is a little over-the-top if this is the case, but then again, this is a show for teens based on a YA novel, also for teens, and sometimes the symbolism needs to be screamed in ALL CAPS.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Tanks rumbled through Tiananmen Square, a location that offered a stark reminder of how authoritarian states can violently crush democratic movements.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
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The early-morning thunderstorms that rumbled across the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys Tuesday also produced nearly 10,000 dry lightning strikes, sparking wildfires from the Mother Lode to the grasslands of eastern Sacramento County.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Although full disclosure, those two words were muttered in the press box Sunday after Nix had thrown two unsightly picks through the first three quarters of the Broncos’ win over Tennessee.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
7 Sep. 2025
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There are few actors whose disembodied voices could carry long stretches of cinema, but Dafoe manages it, turning monologues about marionette mechanics or muttered complaints about hotel politics into something weirdly magnetic.—
Leila Latif,
IndieWire,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
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From the other room, the victim moaned.—
Stephanie Kuzydym,
The Courier-Journal,
15 Aug. 2025
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Yankees fans have moaned and groaned about Aaron Boone’s deployment of Williams in crucial situations this season, and it’s only exacerbated now that every game counts in the postseason race.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
9 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grumbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grumbled. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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