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
“I didn’t want her to look like a grump schoolmistress,” Atwood said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 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
“You’re such a grump in the morning,” she said, shaking her head.
From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio
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
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
The grumps and the agreeable dogs performed the same when they had to figure out the problem by themselves, or if their owners showed them the way to get the treat.
From Seattle Times ● May 7, 2021
Daily, all day, from inside the wagon, Caesar grumps.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Definitions 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.
