grumble
Americanverb (used without object)
-
grumbles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
grumbled,
past participle, past
-
grumbling
present participle
-
to murmur or mutter in discontent; complain sullenly.
Tim always found something to grumble about.
-
to utter low, indistinct sounds; growl.
Suddenly I heard my stomach grumble, and realized I hadn't had any lunch.
-
to rumble.
The thunder grumbled in the west.
verb (used with object)
-
grumbles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
grumbled,
past participle, past
-
grumbling
present participle
noun
-
grumbles
plural
-
an expression of discontent; complaint; unhappy murmur; growl.
-
grumbles, a grumbling, discontented mood.
-
a rumble.
verb
-
to utter (complaints) in a nagging or discontented way
-
(intr) to make low dull rumbling sounds
noun
-
a complaint; grouse
-
a low rumbling sound
Synonym Usage
See complain.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
grumblesimple
-
grumblessimple
-
have grumbledperfect
-
has grumbledperfect
-
am grumblingprogressive
-
are grumblingprogressive
-
is grumblingprogressive
-
have been grumblingperfect progressive
-
has been grumblingperfect progressive
Past
-
grumbledsimple
-
had grumbledperfect
-
was grumblingprogressive
-
were grumblingprogressive
-
had been grumblingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of grumble
First recorded in 1580–90; perhaps frequentative of Old English grymman “to wail”; compare Dutch grommelen, German grummeln, French grommeler (from Germanic )
Explanation
When you grumble, you complain about something clearly but quietly, in a low mutter. Some people grumble a hundred times a day, about everything from the weather to the traffic to their bad luck at bowling. The verb grumble is a great example of onomatopoeia, a word that sounds just like what it means. When you say "grumble" out loud, you're practically already grumbling about something. The origin of grumble is the Middle French word grommeler, or "mutter through the teeth." Just think about the things in life that make you want to mutter through your teeth and you'll probably start to grumble.
Vocabulary lists containing grumble
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Curmudgeon, Cantankerous and Churlish: Grouchy Words
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"The Secret Water"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Habaneros grumble that the money he spent turning old palaces into stunning hotels -- now empty -- was wasted.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Miners grumble that governments aren’t doing enough to encourage Western industry to make the shift away from Chinese minerals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
And the frequency with which he repeats his grumble suggests this is a moment he may find hard to forget.
From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2026
In a flash, the journalist is gone, leaving Gustav to grumble, “TikTok troll.”
From Salon ● Jan. 13, 2026
“Mom would let me take a shower first,” I grumble.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
He grumbles about his team all through dinner, and I can’t remember the last time I heard him laugh at something that wasn’t on TV.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 9, 2026
“These people believe that you take the scab off of a wound and take it off again and again until something miraculous happens,” Boritt grumbles to the camera.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
"We're the same as two years ago, but worse," grumbles Hector Sanchez, a 62-year-old waiter.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2025
Some might say the Goodison Park grumbles which accompanied Sean Dyche's final days as Everton boss are in stark contrast to the partisan passion on show under David Moyes' resurgent side.
From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2025
She throws one into a bin and grumbles, “How do we have three bottles of expired salad dressing in here?”
From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan
“I don’t want to spend hours in front of the fridge,” one French shopper grumbled on a recent Sunday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Two decades ago, customers grumbled about U.S. airlines charging for checked bags, which was the start of all the unbundling that followed.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
I grumbled and complained while Delilah instantly fell in love.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
"This is not a life," one of the relocated mothers grumbled.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
“I don’t know how George Finkle has a million dollars to give away,” Mom grumbled.
From "The Million Dollar Shot" by Dan Gutman
Still, with a buyout looming over the company’s head and its largest investor grumbling, it’s hard to see cost-cutting measures as entirely free from the influence of private equity firms.
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
But the move risks alienating customers who already may be grumbling about the complex array of ticket options when it comes time to book a flight.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
There was grumbling on social media that the lack of a physical disc would eliminate any second-hand market for the title.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
Everyone is grumbling about what the effect will be on traffic, and that - along with safety concerns - is keeping some people home on both sides of the political divide.
From BBC ● May 1, 2026
There was a chorus of growling and grumbling.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
