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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2025
During the day, fans can meander in and out of matches, keyed by the soundtrack of fervent applause in a close match, of grunts and skidding sneakers just a few feet away.
—Lauren Mowery, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Pat Smith, Outdoor Life, 24 July 2025
For more than a minute, audio captures the sounds of a struggle: grunting, choking.
—Miguel Torres, AZCentral.com, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for grunt
Noun
There are layers of grunts and bangs; there is an increasingly insistent electronic score by Steve Jablonsky and, loudest of all, there are numerous ’70s needle drops that fully exploit the melodrama of prog rock.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2025
During the day, fans can meander in and out of matches, keyed by the soundtrack of fervent applause in a close match, of grunts and skidding sneakers just a few feet away.
—Lauren Mowery, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Verb
Benchley merely grunted against the throbbing force at the other end of the line.
—Pat Smith, Outdoor Life, 24 July 2025
For more than a minute, audio captures the sounds of a struggle: grunting, choking.
—Miguel Torres, AZCentral.com, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for grunt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grunt
Noun
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Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the city has seen a decline in large scale construction projects, leaving many laborers without steady, long-term employment.—
Karina Tsui,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Local 724, the Hollywood laborers’ group, in a landmark election that took place Friday.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Although full disclosure, those two words were muttered in the press box Sunday after Nix had thrown two unsightly picks through the first three quarters of the Broncos’ win over Tennessee.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
7 Sep. 2025
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There are few actors whose disembodied voices could carry long stretches of cinema, but Dafoe manages it, turning monologues about marionette mechanics or muttered complaints about hotel politics into something weirdly magnetic.—
Leila Latif,
IndieWire,
31 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
After my long flight home, I was relieved that the late-night visitor turned out to be nothing more than city workers on the job (and their job in this case, while surprising, didn't turn out to be too destructive).—
Alesandra Dubin,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Sep. 2025
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After California’s deal with Uber and Lyft, other states have moved forward with similar attempts to allow workers to unionize.—
Jessica Mathews,
Fortune,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Vic mumbled, coughing sleep from his throat.—
Bryan Washington,
New Yorker,
7 Sep. 2025
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From the first moment, the vibe is off, as Brady looks earnestly at Rooney, the England legend mumbles and gives vague answers.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Davis remembers hearing the whispers of concern.—
Suzette Hackney,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
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Well, the test screening whisper network has said glowing things about it so far.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Cali’s husband murmured beside her, nuzzled into her elbow.—
Bryan Washington,
New Yorker,
7 Sep. 2025
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An Indian woman in sports clothes walks past me murmuring an unbroken monologue into her phone.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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The Bulldogs players began to tap their friends and mouth the quarterback’s name.—
Adam Grosbard,
Orange County Register,
5 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grunt. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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