grunt 1 of 2

noun

Definition of gruntnext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

grunt

2 of 2

verb

ˈgrənt How to pronounce grunt (audio)
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 show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of grunt
Noun
Still, the constant death against even low-level grunt enemies, let alone fearsome bosses, is annoying and obnoxious. — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 26 Aug. 2026 Ranging from the sound of emergency sirens and birds screeching to low grunts and guttural hoots, their vocalizations reverberate from a sanctuary in the hot, dry hills of the Santa Clarita Valley, north of Los Angeles. — Jaimie Ding, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2026
Verb
More than 200 walruses were hauled out on the beach, grunting and groaning, wriggling and jostling for position. — Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 Someone somewhere shrieks, then grunts before hitting the ground with a thud. — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for grunt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grunt
  1. grunting
  2. laborer
  3. mutter
  4. muttering
  5. worker
  6. mumble
  7. whisper
  8. murmur
Noun
  • 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
Definition of grunting
Noun
  • Her philanthropic activities extended far beyond her own community to include Indigenous inmates, Chinese immigrants, and white laborers, along with countless other Angelenos.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
  • In the previous decades, Japan had brought in many Korean, Chinese, and Taiwanese laborers, often under duress, to work in factories and mines, usually in atrocious conditions.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of laborer
Verb
  • The camera then cut to McCarthy, who muttered a profanity in response.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Max Muncy, whose home run expanded the Dodgers’ lead, was still muttering about the heat nearly 15 minutes after escaping into air conditioning.
    — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of mutter
Noun
  • From the first take to the last, the scene evolves quite dramatically, and the final take is the one that most closely resembles the scene in the finished episode (though, sadly, Ned’s introductory muttering seems to have been cut for time).
    — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The opportunity to send a raucous Bell Centre crowd home muttering was there in Game 3.
    — Eduardo A. Encina, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2026
Definition of muttering
Noun
  • The program could also be targeted rather than universal — triggered by sector-specific unemployment spikes, income level, or geography, so the money flows first to the workers AI disrupts most.
    — Sarah Cannon, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • At least six families said health workers visited only after a child had died from measles in their community.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of worker
Verb
  • My brother looks at the floor, mumbles something, and then shuffles away from the table.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
  • After one take — which is usually not worth the celluloid it’s printed on, as the crew and the artists find their feet — Axl mumbled something about being freaked out and disappeared back into the depths of the building.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of mumble
Noun
  • The landscape flowed in ridges and mountains of faded yellow and whisper pink, where welwitschia–large, low-lying plants that live to be hundreds of years old–sprawled like relics from a Dune film set.
    — Samantha Falewée, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026
  • SteelSeries Gaming Keyboard Deal Keep your keystrokes whisper-quiet and lightning-fast using the SteelSeries Apex 3 TKL Gaming Keyboard.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of whisper
Verb
  • Muñoz said he's had six surgeries and suffers from diabetes, a heart murmur, neuropathy and high blood pressure.
    — Luzdelia Caballero, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Though, it perhaps must be said that Johnson’s glazed-over, murmuring style of line delivery does grow grating.
    — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of murmur

Browse Nearby Words

grungy
grunt
grunted
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Cite this Entry

“Grunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grunt. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on grunt

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about grunt

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