grump
Americannoun
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grumps
plural
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a person given to constant complaining.
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Informal. the grumps, a depressed or sulky mood.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a surly or bad-tempered person
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(plural) a sulky or morose mood (esp in the phrase have the grumps )
verb
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of grump
First recorded in 1835–45; probably back formation from grumpy
Explanation
A grouchy, complaining person is a grump. If you mope around all week during a rainy vacation with your family, don't be surprised if they call you a grump. Before grump came to mean a cranky person, the phrase the grumps was used for "a fit of ill-humor." The word may stem from a now-obsolete adjective, grum, "morose or surly." If your neighbor is a grump, he won't be amused by the massive water balloon fight in your yard — but it still may be worth baking him some cookies as an apology for scaring his little dog.
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:
Mitts’ personality is reminiscent of Sam Sylvia, Maron’s lovable grump of a director on Netflix’s wrestling dramedy “GLOW.”
From Salon ● Jun. 4, 2025
In fact, it’s Grant’s sense of humor that led “Wonka” director Paul King to cast him for the role in the film: His Oompa Loompa is also a grump.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2023
One is a cynical grump whose cold-hearted plot to steal Christmas dampens the festive mood.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2022
The power of negative thinking: These books give you permission to be a grump.
From New York Times ● Jul. 31, 2022
“I can assure you that being a grump about it is only going to make things harder” she said.
From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez
The cabin creates a serious, smart and sophisticated space—perhaps too clever by half, for some grumps.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026
But the spat punctures any suggestion that the Budget will end grumps and strops inside the party.
From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2025
Both feature expert, vanity-free performances — from Michelle Williams and Thomas Schubert, respectively — playing such memorably self-serious grumps that you almost want to see them co-star in a crossover rom-com sequel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 8, 2023
A pull of a lever in this basement room brings a ghostly Marley out of a trapdoor in the floor of the stage to begin the journey of scaring Scrooge out of his holiday grumps.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 26, 2021
Daily, all day, from inside the wagon, Caesar grumps.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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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.
