GRUNTS Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

grunts 1 of 2

noun

plural of grunt

as in murmurs

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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as in laborers

a person who does very hard or dull work we have an opening in the warehouse if you don't mind doing grunt work

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

grunts

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of grunt

as in mutters

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 show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of grunts

Noun

Most fights consist of dealing with waves of basic grunts with the occasional bruiser or shooter thrown in to keep you on edge. — Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 26 May 2026 The crowd erupted in hearty grunts and boos after the error. — Kendall Staton The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 25 May 2026 Expect a lot of kicks, punches, chases and grunts and groans. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 23 May 2026 The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader reported that the family also experienced foul odors and heard pig grunts in the home. — Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 12 Apr. 2026 McKellen can make a terrific meal out of just a few grunts and groans, spending whole scenes mumbling about nothing in particular; meanwhile, Coel comes across as impenetrable, yet alluringly so. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026 Bachata played faintly, with plucky notes from the guitar cutting through cows' grunts. — Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026 The natural world is a cacophony of squawks, screeches, coos, chirps, whinnies, grunts, growls, and more. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 19 Mar. 2026 Ten minutes later the jaguar was only a quarter of a mile away, responding to the call with a loud series of grunts, very deep and coarse. — Delbert L. Chears, Outdoor Life, 5 Mar. 2026

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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grunts

Noun

For weeks, there have been murmurs in DC about a coming White House move to address the inevitability of powerful, open-source Chinese AI models being used by people and businesses across the globe.

— Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 15 July 2026
Happy murmurs moved through the room whenever the Tour passed a place someone recognised, turning the stage into a shared travelogue.

— Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 15 July 2026

Definition of murmurs

Noun

Lines spill down the block after prayer, with laborers and millionaires alike waiting to pair it with two-riyal fava beans from the fawal, or cafeteria, beside the bakery.

— Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 29 July 2026
Part of the promise of pro-worker AI is to create new tasks, which in many cases will demand that laborers learn new skills.

— Daron Acemoglu, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026

Definition of laborers

Verb

Wilde read on social media that the tune actually inspired a movie theater meet-cute, as Nash mutters profanity mid-song.

— Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 11 July 2026
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

Definition of mutters

Noun

But if Morris actually turns a hypothetical, unquestionably inconsistent talent into a lockdown corner by hiring the right chaos agent to stand behind him, that won’t be an accomplishment that should be discussed in whispers.

— Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 28 July 2026
The data analyst is shedding the spreadsheet and stepping into the role of AI storyteller, orchestrating models, challenging outputs and translating algorithmic whispers into human decisions.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026

Definition of whispers

Noun

City inspectors soon found site safety issues, including workers who were operating machinery without proper certification and an unpermitted supported scaffold in use, according to the Department of Buildings.

— Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 30 July 2026
The talent drain is only expected to intensify as older workers and managers age out of their present roles.

— Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Definition of workers

Verb

Both look over at me and then Lumet mumbles something and the conversation abruptly ends.

— Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, everyone is still running around like the Keystone Kops chasing Billie, passing an old lady in a bed eating Jell-O who mumbles something in Diné.

— Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Feb. 2026

Definition of mumbles

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grunting

grunts

guano

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“Grunts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grunts. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of grunts

noun

verb

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