grunt

1 of 2

verb

grunted; grunting; grunts

intransitive verb

: to utter a grunt

transitive verb

: to utter with a grunt
grunter noun

grunt

2 of 2

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

Illustration of grunt

Illustration of grunt
  • grunt 2

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
The rescuers grunted audibly while trying to pull him out. Louis Casiano, Fox News, 26 Feb. 2025 Chase and Danni go to the master to hook up, and we’re subjected to some late-night sounds of Chase grunting. Emma Soren, Vulture, 21 Jan. 2025
Noun
Faster and More Efficient Automation is taking the grunt work out of growing and selling. Matt Rozo, The Mercury News, 19 Feb. 2025 Tom’s team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit. Kevin Spencer, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for grunt

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English grunnettan, frequentative of grunian, of imitative origin

Noun

derivative of grunt entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1553, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of grunt was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grunt. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

grunt

noun
ˈgrənt
1
a
: the deep short sound made by a hog
b
: a similar sound
2
: any of numerous marine fishes related to the snappers
grunt verb
grunter noun

More from Merriam-Webster on grunt

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!