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
Instead of "Said": Words That Sound Like What They Mean
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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:
The swings in focus and the message that those changes send about what makes a “good school” is part of why every year higher-education leaders grumble about the outsized influence of the rankings.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
A team’s devoted followers may grumble, but their complaints rarely rise to the level of the hubbub around must-see tours, from Bruce Springsteen to Oasis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
Private credit investors may grumble, as some funds prorate redemption requests.
From Barron's ● Mar. 17, 2026
In a flash, the journalist is gone, leaving Gustav to grumble, “TikTok troll.”
From Salon ● Jan. 13, 2026
The Orkney faction could only grumble, a distant and almost subterranean complaint.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
As a Roman citizen he grumbles about taxes yet knows that the state keeps the peace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
If Celtic emerge victorious on Sunday, grumbles about Rangers' record in big games will grow louder.
From BBC ● May 9, 2026
You can imagine the first misplaced pass by Spurs, they will blame it on Frank, and those grumbles will only grow as the game goes on.
From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2026
He grumbles that it’s hard to open up to someone who can already “divine your secrets at a glance.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2025
Every minute of the day, my stomach grumbles as if it is eating itself.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
At lunch with a friend, they grumbled about everything being “twice as expensive,” Withaar said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 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
Hockney grumbled constantly about the iron grip of draconian forces in America: in particular the new lack of tolerance for public smoking.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
His policy chief grumbled that part of the chip makers’ windfall should fund a “national dividend.”
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
“Your mother made me leave,” Babulya grumbled, “so I wouldn’t offend him. I got some herbs in the meantime. Come here and taste this.”
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
But that doesn't mean there hasn't been grumbling going on.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
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
For all the grumbling and negative news, AI is making strides in the business world. surveys of CIOs and CEOs consistently show that companies plan to spend more on AI this year and next.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
I went to the mill for my rations and waited in the long line with a grumbling stomach.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
