grumble

verb

grum·​ble ˈgrəm-bəl How to pronounce grumble (audio)
grumbled; grumbling ˈgrəm-b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce grumble (audio)

intransitive verb

1
: to mutter in discontent
grumbled about the scarcity of jobs
2
: growl, rumble
Thunder grumbled in the distance.

transitive verb

: to express with grumbling
grumbled his annoyance
grumble noun
grumbler noun
grumbly adjective

Examples of grumble in a Sentence

There's been a lot of grumbling among the employees. Some of the customers have been grumbling about poor service. Fans grumbled about the team's poor play. “When are we going to leave?” he grumbled. We could hear thunder grumbling in the distance.
Recent Examples on the Web Bill Conway, 34th, voted for the settlement, but not without grumbling about the Illinois laws that make cities responsible to cover the legal costs of such settlements. A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2024 The Court’s rigid refusal to consider important arguments on res judicata grounds has led to grumbling about possible political motivations. Ryan Finley, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024 For a good portion of the night, Galaxy fans had reason to grumble, and those thousand or so fans in the upper corner of the stadium wearing black and gold had reason to savor the evening and anticipate yet another victory over the rival. Jim Alexander, Orange County Register, 15 Sep. 2024 Moderators didn't fact-check Harris, which led to grumbling of favoritism by Trump and his supporters, who claimed the debate had been three against one. Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 11 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for grumble 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grumble.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

probably from Middle French grommeler, ultimately from Middle Dutch grommen; akin to Old High German grimm grim

First Known Use

1580, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of grumble was in 1580

Dictionary Entries Near grumble

Cite this Entry

“Grumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grumble. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

grumble

verb
grum·​ble ˈgrəm-bəl How to pronounce grumble (audio)
grumbled; grumbling -b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce grumble (audio)
1
: to mutter in discontent
2
grumble noun
grumbler noun
grumblingly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on grumble

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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