as in complaining
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1
as in screaming
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
he grumbled about how sore his feet were after standing all day
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grumbling
Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 26 Jan. 2026
My father was also sullen from the vodka, and after grumbling some would fall asleep on his grungy sleeper berth.
—Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
As stories piled up about internal anger and legislative threats, the White House moved from background grumbling to explicit public signaling about who controls the President’s legislative agenda.
—Jason Brett, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Radiohead’s European run — hitting Madrid, Bologna, London, Copenhagen, and Berlin — was a triumph, aside from some scattered grumbling about the in-the-round stage setup and descending screens that sometimes obscured the band early on.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grumbling
Verb
Some ponied up, even while grumbling online.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 26 Jan. 2026
My father was also sullen from the vodka, and after grumbling some would fall asleep on his grungy sleeper berth.
—Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
As stories piled up about internal anger and legislative threats, the White House moved from background grumbling to explicit public signaling about who controls the President’s legislative agenda.
—Jason Brett, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Radiohead’s European run — hitting Madrid, Bologna, London, Copenhagen, and Berlin — was a triumph, aside from some scattered grumbling about the in-the-round stage setup and descending screens that sometimes obscured the band early on.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grumbling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grumbling
Adjective
-
An energy vampire has bad body language, the complaining look on their face, the vocal complainer.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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One video shows black smoke streaming out of a building where a wall is painted blue with flowers and the sound of a woman can be heard screaming.—
Marin Scott,
NBC news,
24 Mar. 2026
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Nunez then began raping her while Jones stuffed rocks in her mouth to try to stop her from screaming, detectives said in the report.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Across the Houston area, residents described hearing a low, rumbling sound that many compared to thunder, even though the skies were clear, according to CBS affiliate KHOU.—
Kierra Frazier,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Another video shared on Instagram, presumably taken at an earlier point, shows the same bot rumbling along to deliver some food with the same graffiti scribbled on its exterior.—
Joe Wilkins Published Mar 19,
Futurism,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The death toll includes at least 19 children, 21 non-protesting civilians, and 165 in government or security forces.—
The Hill,
The Hill,
17 Jan. 2026
-
Among the dead were 13 children and 14 non-protesting civilians, HRANA said.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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With LeBron James buying into a supporting actor role, the Lakers are a legitimate threat because Doncic is more focused on scoring buckets than whining to officials.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
20 Mar. 2026
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Part of it is [capturing] the color of light in the morning or the sound of drones whining in the air.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But the innocent visit turns ugly when Alice keeps growling at a wall.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
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Then, while there was still enough light to see them plainly, the two came stalking out of the brush, growling and muttering.—
Doris DeCleene,
Outdoor Life,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
One minute later, Pedro Neto was yellow-carded for moaning.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
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While lying on the pavement, he could be heard moaning as an officer shouted at him not to move.—
Jose R. Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
13 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grumbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grumbling. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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