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

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Etymology

Origin of grump

First recorded in 1835–45; probably back formation from grumpy

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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

The sharpest movies about New York’s art scene — including 1996’s “Basquiat,” starring future “American Fiction” grump Jeffrey Wright — capture something relentless about the city.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2024

At first, the grump does his best to scare off the invader.

From New York Times ● Sep. 21, 2023

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

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

From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2022

Zane had little hope that the grump of an old man had anything that could earn Zane even a penny, but he was .

From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff

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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