grump

American  

[gruhmp] / grʌmp /

noun

• grumps
  plural

1. a person given to constant complaining.

2. Informal. the grumps, a depressed or sulky mood.

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verb (used without object)

1. to complain or sulk.

grump British  

/ ɡrʌmp /

noun

1. a surly or bad-tempered person

2. (plural) a sulky or morose mood (esp in the phrase have the grumps )

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verb

1. (intr) to complain or grumble

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• grumps
  plural

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

See Examples For:

grump grumps

Why it’s key: “Playing a lovable grump is hard; you can lose the audience if you play it too far,” says writer-director Cord Jefferson.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2024

It's the kind of Charles we've seen before, the inflexible grump of Prince Harry's "Spare," the icy antagonist of the Diana arc of "The Crown."

From Salon ● May 5, 2023

That movie, based on a best-selling Swedish novel, is about a thoroughgoing grump who becomes suicidal after the death of his wife, until interactions with new neighbors soften his heart.

From New York Times ● Dec. 29, 2022

One is a cynical grump whose cold-hearted plot to steal Christmas dampens the festive mood.

From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2022

“David doesn’t try to solve my problems,” I grump.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

What a blow to grumps who chuckle when a New York team endures a miserable season, of which plenty remain, thanks to those Mets, Giants, Rangers and, of course, the pratfalling Jets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026

I have grown into one of those grumps who is wary of how easily we throw around honorifics like “legendary” and “GOAT.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2025

But the spat punctures any suggestion that the Budget will end grumps and strops inside the party.

From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2025

But now they are also philosophers, political sages, conspiracy-mongers, grumps, rebels and outcasts.

From New York Times ● Oct. 27, 2021

Daily, all day, from inside the wagon, Caesar grumps.

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes