grumbled; grumbling
ˈgrəm-b(ə-)liŋ 
1
: to mutter in discontent
grumbled about the scarcity of jobs
: to express with grumbling
grumbled his annoyance
Examples of grumble in a Sentence
There's been a lot of grumbling among the employees.
Some of the customers have been grumbling about poor service.
Fans grumbled about the team's poor play.
“When are we going to leave?” he grumbled.
We could hear thunder grumbling in the distance.
Recent Examples on the Web
During a question-and-answer session, shareholders grumbled about everything from the falling share price and feeble dividend of 6 euros versus 14 euros in 2023 to the complicated WiFi login process and historic lack of shareholder gifts.
—
Miles Socha, Footwear News, 24 Apr. 2025
The set continued for three more songs, but ended on a note of some confusion and widespread grumbling from the audience.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 14 Apr. 2025
The president is out there dismantling the Atlantic security alliance against Russia that at least half of the GOP's Senate caucus spent their careers loudly supporting—and without much more pushback than some grumbling on background with reporters.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
One Republican senator said the Senate language has prompted grumbling among House Republicans that the instruction to the Senate Finance Committee sets too low of a deficit cap to accommodate all of Trump’s tax priorities, such as exempting tipped wages and Social Security benefits from taxation.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grumble
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.
Miles Socha, Footwear News, 24 Apr. 2025
The set continued for three more songs, but ended on a note of some confusion and widespread grumbling from the audience.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 14 Apr. 2025
The president is out there dismantling the Atlantic security alliance against Russia that at least half of the GOP's Senate caucus spent their careers loudly supporting—and without much more pushback than some grumbling on background with reporters.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
One Republican senator said the Senate language has prompted grumbling among House Republicans that the instruction to the Senate Finance Committee sets too low of a deficit cap to accommodate all of Trump’s tax priorities, such as exempting tipped wages and Social Security benefits from taxation.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grumble
Cite this Entry
“Grumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grumble. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share