1
as in grunting
speech that is not clear enough to be understood
preoccupied with what he was doing, the mechanic gave only a grunt when I asked when the car would be ready
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in laborer
a person who does very hard or dull work
we have an opening in the warehouse if you don't mind doing grunt work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to mutter
to speak softly and unclearly
was so absorbed with the video game that when asked what he wanted for dinner, he just grunted
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of grunt
Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 21 Feb. 2026
So much grunt routes through a trick all-wheel-drive system that actually uses a two-speed gearbox ahead of the engine between the front wheels, in addition to a more traditional eight-speed dual-clutch transaxle routing power to the rears.
—Michael Teo Van Runkle, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 26 Jan. 2026
Phelan grunted as his rod bowed.
—Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 25 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grunt
Noun
The more capable Claude becomes, the thinner the line between the analytical grunt work Anthropic is willing to support and the surveillance and targeting it has pledged to refuse.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 21 Feb. 2026
So much grunt routes through a trick all-wheel-drive system that actually uses a two-speed gearbox ahead of the engine between the front wheels, in addition to a more traditional eight-speed dual-clutch transaxle routing power to the rears.
—Michael Teo Van Runkle, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Verb
It is also fitted with a Seakeeper 2 that increases stability and DuoProp drives that turn all that grunt into precise acceleration.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 26 Jan. 2026
Phelan grunted as his rod bowed.
—Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 25 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grunt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grunt
Noun
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By pulling this string, the locals made an amplified grunting noise similar to that of a jaguar.—
Delbert L. Chears,
Outdoor Life,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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No workers for mundane tasks Diez revealed that manufacturers worldwide are struggling to find laborers for highly repetitive physical tasks.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The voices captured on that wall belong not to emperors or senators, but to lovers, laborers, sports fans, and artists who left their marks in a corridor between two theaters, never imagining those marks would still be read 2,000 years later.—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In fact, the director was egging me on, encouraging me to go further with the hunching and muttering.—
Andrew Martin,
Vogue,
9 Mar. 2026
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Old friend Daniel Vladar was spectacular in making 26 saves, several of which had Morgan Geekie (nine total shots, five on net, two blocked, two misses) muttering to himself.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Aid workers are delivering food, water, shelter, and medical and mental health care, among other services.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
7 Mar. 2026
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Noah Nelson, a professor at the California Institute of the Arts and founder of immersive arts publication No Proscenium, said Actors’ Equity’s recognition of the Basement’s workers is a step in the right direction as the union welcomes more nontraditional units.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, everyone is still running around like the Keystone Kops chasing Billie, passing an old lady in a bed eating Jell-O who mumbles something in Diné.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Feb. 2026
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One of the reporters said Bad Bunny often mumbled through the expletives or cut off the word entirely in the show.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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There can be a whisper-fine line between feature and bug, and in its persistent thickness and archness of atmosphere, Cold War Choir Practice slides right up to that boundary and perches there.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The world discovered what had once felt like a whisper.—
Gina Góngora,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Meyers bent his head and murmured to Bria.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
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Located at the foot of Petit Piton, guests are transported to a slice of tranquility, where the sound of a running stream murmurs in the background.—
Nneka M. Okona,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Or to sometimes instinctively mouth the words to Christmas carols the kids sang to him with tears or confusion in their eyes.—
Scott Maxwell,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Jan. 2026
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The opposition’s mainstream leaders still mouth the catechism that change should come by Venezuelan hands, but more are openly courting external pressure to tilt the balance.—
Robert Muggah,
The Conversation,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grunt. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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