Illustration of grunt
- grunt 2
grunted; grunting; grunts
: to utter a grunt
: to utter with a grunt
grunter
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
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
Jordan Greene, People.com, 26 Mar. 2025
The elephant is now decidedly less friendly, and is doing far more than twitching and grunting.
—Stephen Maher, TIME, 15 Feb. 2025
Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Bonobo dictionary Berthet started with establishing the tentative meaning of the basic calls: singular grunts or yelps.
—ArsTechnica, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grunt
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Verb
Kandil recalls how, in those moments, her son would grunt and clamp down, completely blocking his airway.
—Jordan Greene, People.com, 26 Mar. 2025
The elephant is now decidedly less friendly, and is doing far more than twitching and grunting.
—Stephen Maher, TIME, 15 Feb. 2025
Noun
At all times, Adobe insists the user will stay in control of the creative process, while the agent does the grunt work where it’s needed or wanted.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Bonobo dictionary Berthet started with establishing the tentative meaning of the basic calls: singular grunts or yelps.
—ArsTechnica, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grunt
Cite this Entry
“Grunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grunt. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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