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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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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
-
In the first few minutes, the jeers were murmurs that faded into the overall atmosphere in the stands.
-
The stadium, packed to the brim with more than 82,000 fans, reverberated with stunned murmurs as Morocco’s Ismael Saibari snuck behind a distracted Brazil defense and chipped home a beautiful goal over goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s head to open the scoring in the 22nd minute.
Noun
-
He is accused of not checking work authorizations before hiring laborers, according to the Post.
-
Israel soon barred nearly two hundred thousand Palestinian laborers from its workforce.
Verb
-
Your dad mutters for head movement, for cage cutting, for not playing off the back and creating distance.
Noun
-
Continue reading … AMERICAN CULTURE QUIZ — Test yourself on cruise controversies and wedding whispers.
-
But whispers of two young French watchmaking wunderkinder spread quickly.
Noun
-
There are fewer opportunities for younger workers to find mentors and soak up knowledge.
-
The sheriff's office says a preliminary investigation found that workers were installing underground tanks.
Verb
-
Both look over at me and then Lumet mumbles something and the conversation abruptly ends.
-
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.
Cite this Entry
“Grunts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grunts. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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