grumble
[gruhm-buh l]
- to murmur or mutter in discontent; complain sullenly.
- to utter low, indistinct sounds; growl.
- to rumble: The thunder grumbled in the west.
- to express or utter with murmuring or complaining.
- an expression of discontent; complaint; unhappy murmur; growl.
- grumbles, a grumbling, discontented mood.
- a rumble.
Origin of grumble
1580–90; perhaps frequentative of Old English grymman to wail; compare Dutch grommelen, German grummeln, French grommeler (< Gmc)
Synonym study
1. See complain.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for grumbling
Contemporary Examples
Spall plays him brilliantly as a grumbling, grunting beast of a man whose sensitivity and kindness emerges slowly.
Now the grumbling is getting louder—and increasingly it focuses on the president himself.
Liberals have been grumbling for a while about the Obama administration.
Spitzer rolled his eyes at the interruption, grumbling a perfunctory “very funny.”
This came after months of grumbling about disappointing iPhone sales, and reports of a possibly too-small opening in China.
Historical Examples
With all his grumbling, he had not contemplated Jenkins being away more than a day or two.
The ChanningsMrs. Henry Wood
They went through the cloisters to the south gate, Ketch grumbling all the way.
The ChanningsMrs. Henry Wood
The artistes gradually began to arrive, grumbling more or less.
My Double LifeSarah Bernhardt
If we have been grumbling in our hearts, it is to God we must confess: who else has to do with the matter?
Salted With FireGeorge MacDonald
So tall Clemence dressed herself again, grumbling the while.
L'AssommoirEmile Zola
grumble
- to utter (complaints) in a nagging or discontented way
- (intr) to make low dull rumbling sounds
- a complaint; grouse
- a low rumbling sound
Word Origin
C16: from Middle Low German grommelen, of Germanic origin; see grim
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for grumbling
grumble
v.
1580s, from Middle French grommeler "mutter between the teeth" or directly from Middle Dutch grommelen "murmur, mutter, grunt," from grommen "to rumble, growl." Imitative, or perhaps akin to grim. Related: Grumbled; grumbling.
grumble
n.
1620s, from grumble (v.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper