grumble
verb (used without object)
to murmur or mutter in discontent; complain sullenly.
had been grumbling
-
past perfect progressiveof grumble.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
Franchise owners had been grumbling for years that the wraps were too slow to assemble.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2025
So come Saturday, the team did what their rivals had been grumbling all along: Mercedes raised the ride height and Hamilton’s fourth-place qualifying effort was his best of the year.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 20, 2022
An engineer, fluent in five languages, he had been grumbling along as manager of a steel mill in the English Midlands.
From Time Magazine Archive
For weeks the government had been grumbling about the growing inflation.
From Time Magazine Archive
They were setting up a lemonade stand together, and Evan had been grumbling about dragging the cooler across the street and down two houses, just like Scott.
From "The Lemonade War" by Jacqueline Davies
