harrumph

[huh-ruhmf]

verb (used without object)

1. to clear the throat audibly in a self-important manner.

   The professor harrumphed good-naturedly.

2. to express oneself gruffly.

harrumph

/ həˈrʌmf /

verb

1. (intr) to clear or make the noise of clearing the throat

Word History and Origins

Origin of harrumph¹

First recorded in 1935–40; imitative

Example Sentences

This echoes what most of the British press and that other American Meghan, she of House McCain, harrumphed about the supposed tone deafness of Season 1.

From Salon

Trump is far from the first US president to harrumph at Europe's reluctance to do more for, as well as spend more on, its own defence.

From BBC

"Trousers," exclaims the Prince Andrew character, with a fruity harrumph, as though taken aback by a female interviewer wearing trousers.

From BBC

I humored her harrumphs when my best friend and I waited in line for hours to see the second batch in the late 1990s.

From Los Angeles Times

They treated an audience that knows how to harrumph to a smorgasbord of how things should be done.

From Washington Post