1
as in grunting
speech that is not clear enough to be understood
preoccupied with what he was doing, the mechanic gave only a grunt when I asked when the car would be ready
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2
as in laborer
a person who does very hard or dull work
we have an opening in the warehouse if you don't mind doing grunt work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to mutter
to speak softly and unclearly
was so absorbed with the video game that when asked what he wanted for dinner, he just grunted
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of grunt
Ted Katauskas, Outside, 23 Sep. 2025
Still quieter than the music playing and the grunts of the adults flopping, the yelling of Tap and You okay?
—Matthew Shen Goodman, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 5 Sep. 2025
Flushing Meadows has become the site of flushed cheeks during the final grand slam tournament of the year, with a confrontation over grunting on Saturday serving up the latest evidence of emotions running hot in New York.
—Jack Bantock, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grunt
Noun
Stryker grunts, wanting this to never end.
—Ted Katauskas, Outside, 23 Sep. 2025
Still quieter than the music playing and the grunts of the adults flopping, the yelling of Tap and You okay?
—Matthew Shen Goodman, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
But young Fraser barely grunts under the punishment, then puts his shirt back on and goes to see how Julia is doing.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 5 Sep. 2025
Flushing Meadows has become the site of flushed cheeks during the final grand slam tournament of the year, with a confrontation over grunting on Saturday serving up the latest evidence of emotions running hot in New York.
—Jack Bantock, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grunt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grunt
Noun
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But, at large scales, laborers (who themselves are often poorly treated) are often paid by volume and are likely to work as quickly as possible which leads to mistreatment.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
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Maricopa County deputies, after getting 287(g) certified in 2007, carried out 11 immigration sweeps within five months outside a former furniture store in Phoenix that was a popular gathering spot for laborers.—
Rafael Carranza,
ProPublica,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But the other 3%, often muttered by students prospectively examining transfer applications, is distinct.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
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Your dad mutters for head movement, for cage cutting, for not playing off the back and creating distance.—
Matthew Shen Goodman,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The White Lotus season 1 centered on a group of guests and workers at the Hawaii location of the titular luxury resort chain.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
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Reich said Lauren Spors began to scream and threaten those around her, prompting a county worker to call the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office.—
David Clarey,
jsonline.com,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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So to this day, 'Borderline's' lyrics are mumbled on SNL.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Oct. 2025
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At that point, the dad shook his head, mumbled something under his breath, tossed the melon back in the bin, and picked an alternative fruit.—
Catharine Kaufman,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Yet the chairman Ron Noades and Coppell heard whispers of transfer interest.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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For nearly a century, filmmakers have known that jewels speak a visual language of their own—each sparkle a whisper of glamour, danger, or desire—while the jeweler becomes co-director and the gem a co-star.—
Lilah Ramzi,
Vogue,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Two students have unrolled what looks like an incomplete treasure map, and lean over it with magnifying glasses, murmuring to one another.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Oct. 2025
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For example, a heart murmur or crackling lungs often signify an issue is present.—
Joshua Hutcheson,
The Conversation,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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True and Dream then appeared in the same way, with True expertly flipping her sunglasses onto her face in time to the music, before the trio joined Kardashian to mouth the lyrics.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
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As in the never-ending parade of ostensibly Christian exorcism movies, religious belief here seems like a superficial excuse for a stock array of supernatural hoodoo — no matter how many times Chalik’s Abuyya pauses the action to mouth some healing doctrine.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
6 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grunt. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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