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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grumbling
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
Bisciotti’s conversations with players came on the heels of a season when there was far more locker room grumbling about Harbaugh and other coaches than in previous years.
—Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026
Arizona mounted a steady 76-yard drive moments later, capped by Deguara's first TD catch since 2021 to spark grumbling in SoFi Stadium.
—CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grumbling
Verb
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
Bisciotti’s conversations with players came on the heels of a season when there was far more locker room grumbling about Harbaugh and other coaches than in previous years.
—Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026
Arizona mounted a steady 76-yard drive moments later, capped by Deguara's first TD catch since 2021 to spark grumbling in SoFi Stadium.
—CBS News, 5 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
-
Police were called to Access Self Storage at 7000 Southwest 22nd Court on March 1 after an employee reported hearing a man inside a unit screaming and asking for medical attention, according to the report.—
David Goodhue
March 10,
Miami Herald,
10 Mar. 2026
-
During cross-examination of Kaley in February, a Meta lawyer played footage of her mother screaming at her that the teen had posted to social media, and displayed Kaley’s lower-case Instagram story rants about her home life.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Eric’s original sound was straight-up rumbling sub bass.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
1 Mar. 2026
-
No procession of tanks, no towering intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), no hypersonic glide vehicles, no transporter-erector-launchers rumbling past the cameras.—
Will Ripley,
CNN Money,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
Somewhere in the next hour after the field is announced, there will be contemplation and whining about the specter of the NCAA growing its postseason field, most likely to 76 teams.—
Mac Engel
March 10,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Mar. 2026
-
This includes everything from saying thank you and being kind to not whining.—
Barrie Gillies,
Parents,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But the innocent visit turns ugly when Alice keeps growling at a wall.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
-
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
-
While Slot was moaning about having to play two away matches in four days (and about missing a couple of key players), Emery, also without important figures such as Boubacar Kamara, was overseeing his Villa side playing the same tough schedule and win both games without conceding a goal.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
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 11 Mar. 2026.
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