1
as in murmurs
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
Relevance
2
as in laborers
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 mutters
to speak softly and unclearly
was so absorbed with the video game that when asked what he wanted for dinner, he just grunted
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grunts
Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 26 May 2026
The crowd erupted in hearty grunts and boos after the error.
—Kendall Staton The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 25 May 2026
Expect a lot of kicks, punches, chases and grunts and groans.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 23 May 2026
The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader reported that the family also experienced foul odors and heard pig grunts in the home.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 12 Apr. 2026
McKellen can make a terrific meal out of just a few grunts and groans, spending whole scenes mumbling about nothing in particular; meanwhile, Coel comes across as impenetrable, yet alluringly so.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026
Bachata played faintly, with plucky notes from the guitar cutting through cows' grunts.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
The natural world is a cacophony of squawks, screeches, coos, chirps, whinnies, grunts, growls, and more.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 19 Mar. 2026
Ten minutes later the jaguar was only a quarter of a mile away, responding to the call with a loud series of grunts, very deep and coarse.
—Delbert L. Chears, Outdoor Life, 5 Mar. 2026
Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
Most fights consist of dealing with waves of basic grunts with the occasional bruiser or shooter thrown in to keep you on edge.
—Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 26 May 2026
The crowd erupted in hearty grunts and boos after the error.
—Kendall Staton The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 25 May 2026
Expect a lot of kicks, punches, chases and grunts and groans.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 23 May 2026
The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader reported that the family also experienced foul odors and heard pig grunts in the home.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 12 Apr. 2026
McKellen can make a terrific meal out of just a few grunts and groans, spending whole scenes mumbling about nothing in particular; meanwhile, Coel comes across as impenetrable, yet alluringly so.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026
Bachata played faintly, with plucky notes from the guitar cutting through cows' grunts.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
The natural world is a cacophony of squawks, screeches, coos, chirps, whinnies, grunts, growls, and more.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 19 Mar. 2026
Ten minutes later the jaguar was only a quarter of a mile away, responding to the call with a loud series of grunts, very deep and coarse.
—Delbert L. Chears, Outdoor Life, 5 Mar. 2026
Verb
But young Fraser barely grunts under the punishment, then puts his shirt back on and goes to see how Julia is doing.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grunts
Noun
-
That absence has allowed for murmurs of doubt to seep in and create a space for a new enclave of rap fans to dismiss his music as generationally specific despite his very real track record and influence over pop culture.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
31 May 2026
-
Minnesota has been heavily linked to the Greek forward dating back to the trade deadline, and those murmurs don’t figure to subside in the next month-plus.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
26 May 2026
Noun
-
Repairs had been carried out in record time, with dozens of laborers working on the site at any one time.—
Amer Matar,
The Dial,
26 May 2026
-
The ban on Chinese laborers entering the United States caused the men to set sail for Cuba.—
Cindy Hsu,
CBS News,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
Your dad mutters for head movement, for cage cutting, for not playing off the back and creating distance.—
Matthew Shen Goodman,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Measuring the whispers of light The promise of biopsy — catching microscopic traces of a tumor from a simple blood draw — has long been a logistical challenge.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
25 May 2026
-
News reports would later surface that Keenan was negotiating with the Detroit Red Wings during the Rangers’ playoff run, but Olczyk and many of his teammates had already heard whispers.—
Vincent Z. Mercogliano,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
Noun
-
Just days after the workers lodged these complaints, Spesshardt convened a meeting.—
Sam Tabachnik,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
-
Gang intervention workers have been credited by city officials as one of the factors behind significant reductions in violent crime in recent years, with homicides and shootings both falling to near-historic lows.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
Both look over at me and then Lumet mumbles something and the conversation abruptly ends.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
23 Apr. 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Grunts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grunts. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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