Illustration of grunt
- grunt 2
grunted; grunting; grunts
: to utter a grunt
: to utter with a grunt
grunter
noun
plural grunts
1
a
: the deep short sound characteristic of a hog
b
: a similar sound
2
[from the noise it makes when taken from the water]
: any of a family (Haemulidae synonym Pomadasyidae) of chiefly tropical marine bony fishes
3
: a dessert made by dropping biscuit dough on top of boiling berries and steaming
blueberry grunt
4
a
: a U.S. army or marine foot soldier especially in the Vietnam War
b
: one who does routine unglamorous work
—often used attributively
grunt work
Synonyms
Examples of grunt in a Sentence
Verb
The workers were grunting with effort as they lifted the heavy furniture.
She grunted a few words in reply, then turned and walked away.
Noun
the grunt of a pig
I could hear the grunts of the movers as they lifted the heavy furniture.
He answered her with a grunt.
He was a grunt who worked his way up to become an officer.
He's just a grunt in the attorney's office.
Recent Examples on the Web
Scott Huver, Deadline, 2 Nov. 2024
Buffalo could be heard splashing in the swamp and grunting for miles.
—Scott Haugen, Outdoor Life, 16 Oct. 2024
Lizz Schumer, People.com, 22 Oct. 2024
An entire shift as fast food grunts, working side-by-side with the other workers and one another, through every rush and every slog.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for grunt 
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Verb
But Elvis Presley’s grunting granddaughter isn’t even the most outrageous contributor to the score.
—Scott Huver, Deadline, 2 Nov. 2024
Buffalo could be heard splashing in the swamp and grunting for miles.
—Scott Haugen, Outdoor Life, 16 Oct. 2024
Noun
MacDougal made a satisfied grunt, put the phone back in his pocket, and hopped from the Land Rover.
—Lizz Schumer, People.com, 22 Oct. 2024
An entire shift as fast food grunts, working side-by-side with the other workers and one another, through every rush and every slog.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for grunt
Articles Related to grunt
Dictionary Entries Near grunt
Cite this Entry
“Grunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grunt. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share