grunt

1 of 2

verb

ˈgrənt 

grunted; grunting; grunts

intransitive verb

: to utter a grunt

transitive verb

: to utter with a grunt

grunter noun

grunt

2 of 2

noun

plural grunts

1

a

: the deep short sound characteristic of a hog

b

: a similar sound

2

[from the noise it makes when taken from the water] : any of a family (Haemulidae synonym Pomadasyidae) of chiefly tropical marine bony fishes

3

: a dessert made by dropping biscuit dough on top of boiling berries and steaming

blueberry grunt

4

a

: a U.S. army or marine foot soldier especially in the Vietnam War

b

: one who does routine unglamorous work

—often used attributively

grunt work

Illustration of grunt

• grunt 2

Synonyms

Verb

• chunter [British]
• mouth
• mumble
• murmur
• mutter

Noun

• grunting
• mumble
• murmur
• murmuring
• mutter
• muttering

Examples of grunt in a Sentence

Verb

The workers were grunting with effort as they lifted the heavy furniture.

She grunted a few words in reply, then turned and walked away.

Noun

the grunt of a pig

I could hear the grunts of the movers as they lifted the heavy furniture.

He answered her with a grunt.

He was a grunt who worked his way up to become an officer.

He's just a grunt in the attorney's office.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Use Calls Don’t be afraid to grunt and rattle in the pre-rut. —Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 17 Oct. 2024

There are many shows left before Nov. 5, so get ready for a lot of grunting half-hearted Trump voices and Rudolph making a wide range of perplexed expressions. —Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 4 Oct. 2024

Noun

The controversial comments were met with gasps and grunts from the audience and much commentary on social media. —Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 9 Oct. 2024

Others opted for something even stronger: C4 explosive, a clay-like substance that some grunts would chew on to get stoned. —David Browne, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English grunnettan, frequentative of grunian, of imitative origin

Noun

derivative of grunt entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1553, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

grunt

noun

ˈgrənt

1

a

: the deep short sound made by a hog

b

: a similar sound

2

: any of numerous marine fishes related to the snappers

grunt verb

grunter noun