1
as in grunting
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 laborer
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 to mutter
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.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of grunt
Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2025
Either way, that's still significant grunt from what's essentially a lawnmower engine.
—New Atlas, 14 Dec. 2024
David Sims, The Atlantic, 24 Dec. 2024
In practice, the Traverse doesn't roar or grunt like bigger-engine SUVs and sports car but is powerful from a standstill and at speed.
—Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for grunt
Noun
In no uncertain terms, Hwang is telling us that the grunts, the everyday people who suffer under capitalist institutions, will be forced to become the architects of their own liberation.
—Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2025
Either way, that's still significant grunt from what's essentially a lawnmower engine.
—New Atlas, 14 Dec. 2024
Verb
The camera itself seems to fear the grunting demon, who throughout the film usually appears backlit.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 24 Dec. 2024
In practice, the Traverse doesn't roar or grunt like bigger-engine SUVs and sports car but is powerful from a standstill and at speed.
—Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for grunt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grunt
Noun
-
Brahmins, who were traditionally priests, sit at the top, followed by warriors, merchants, and laborers – each further divided into thousands of subcategories.—
Sushmita Pathak,
The Christian Science Monitor,
3 Mar. 2025
-
The minimum wage standards required of firms receiving CHIPS funding, for example, could have been applied to all categories of workers, not just to laborers and mechanics.—
Mariana Mazzucato,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
But unlike France — which has both Napoleonic history and darkly muttering existentialists wandering the streets of Paris to remind everyone just how bad things can get — we Americans have no natural immunity.—
Pat Beall,
Orlando Sentinel,
18 Feb. 2025
-
Several people are pacing up and down the crowd muttering a headcount to themselves to figure out their number in line.—
Nick Robins-Early,
Vulture,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Related article Cabinet officials caught off guard and frustrated by Musk’s directives to federal employees A second email from OPM early Monday evening told workers they were not required to reply, which didn’t clear much up.—
Jeanne Sahadi,
CNN,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Between fiscal years 2015 to 2019, agency inspectors general substantiated only 100 allegations of employee time and attendance misconduct or fraud out of a federal workforce of around 2.1 million employees (the GAO report did not include postal workers).—
Laura Doan,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Mia, unfortunately, has never been receptive to any of that in her time on the show and defaults to tears and mumbled half-apologies only when cornered.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
Vulture,
24 Feb. 2025
-
Secular humanists are content to mumble something about the imagination.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
There’s a whisper of floral elegance, balanced with earthy depth, giving it a versatile and refined character.—
Jillian Dara,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
-
After ten years of whispers, gossip, and speculation, the women finally start to open up about what has been painfully obvious to any faithful watcher of this show: Karen has been struggling with an alcohol problem that has recently gotten out of control.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
At the center, there were pleas for neighborhood investment, hope of revitalization, and murmurs about reparations.—
Nicholas Lalla,
WIRED,
4 Mar. 2025
-
The timing of Adam Wharton’s introduction in Crystal Palace’s 2-1 defeat by Everton may have denied the Selhurst Park crowd that murmuring of excitement that would ordinarily greet his appearance, but his contribution in the second half more than made up for it.—
Matt Woosnam,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Ford decided to mouth his last name at the end, a decision that caused observers to break out in laughter.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
10 Feb. 2025
-
Residents should limit their time outside and dress warmly, making sure to cover their head, face and mouth with a knit hat or scarf, protect their hands with mittens or gloves, wear several layers of loose-fitting clothes and put on water-resistant shoes or boots.—
Adriana Pérez,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Jan. 2025
Articles Related to grunt
Cite this Entry
“Grunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grunt. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share