grunt

[ gruhnt ]

/ grʌnt /

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See synonyms for: grunt / grunted / grunts on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to utter the deep, guttural sound characteristic of a hog.

to utter a similar sound.

to grumble, as in discontent.

verb (used with object)

to express with a grunt.

noun

a sound of grunting.

New England Cooking. a dessert, typically of cherries, peaches, or apples sweetened and spiced, and topped with biscuit dough.See also pandowdy.

any food fish of the family Pomadasyidae (Haemulidae), found chiefly in tropical and subtropical seas, that emits grunting sounds.

Slang. a soldier, especially an infantryman.

Slang. a common or unskilled worker; laborer.

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Origin of grunt

First recorded before 900; Middle English grunten, Old English grunnettan, frequentative of grunian “to grunt”; cognate with German grunzen, Latin grunnīre

OTHER WORDS FROM grunt

grunt·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use grunt in a sentence

They grunted and swore under their breaths as they slumped back into their seats.
The National-Security Diaper Scramble|Philip Shishkin|April 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Students moaned and grunted as they contorted their bodies into a succession of poses.
Hilaria Thomas, Yoga Instructor (and the Next Mrs. Alec Baldwin)|Lizzie Crocker|May 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The stout brigadier grunted an assent and rolled monumentally down the Avenue.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
It struck me that he was uncommonly philosophical about it, so I merely grunted and went on with my dinner.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair

"Blamed if they ain't got company, from the look uh things," he grunted, squinting down.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
The porker grunted her displeasure, and Patrick did some grunting, too; but he was not easily scarednor would he be shaken off.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage|Gertrude W. Morrison
"Humph," grunted Grace, unsympathetically, as she prepared to climb into her berth again.
The Outdoor Girls in the Saddle|Laura Lee Hope

British Dictionary definitions for grunt

grunt

/ (ɡrʌnt) /

verb

(intr) (esp of pigs and some other animals) to emit a low short gruff noise

(when tr, may take a clause as object) to express something grufflyhe grunted his answer

noun

the characteristic low short gruff noise of pigs, etc, or a similar sound, as of disgust

any of various mainly tropical marine sciaenid fishes, such as Haemulon macrostomum (Spanish grunt), that utter a grunting sound when caught

US slang an infantry soldier or US Marine, esp in the Vietnam War

Derived forms of grunt

gruntingly, adverb

Word Origin for grunt

Old English grunnettan, probably of imitative origin; compare Old High German grunnizōn, grunni moaning, Latin grunnīre

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

grunt

Origin of grunt

OTHER WORDS FROM grunt

Words related to grunt

How to use grunt in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for grunt

Derived forms of grunt

Word Origin for grunt