1
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
Relevance
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grunts
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
Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 5 Sep. 2025
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
-
The stadium, packed to the brim with more than 82,000 fans, reverberated with stunned murmurs as Morocco’s Ismael Saibari snuck behind a distracted Brazil defense and chipped home a beautiful goal over goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s head to open the scoring in the 22nd minute.—
Kels Dayton,
Hartford Courant,
14 June 2026
-
That absence has allowed for murmurs of doubt to seep in and create a space for a new enclave of rap fans to dismiss his music as generationally specific despite his very real track record and influence over pop culture.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
As recounted by Peter Biskind in Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, Cimino ran long and went over budget on his epic drama about the Johnson County War, which saw cattle barons attacking immigrant laborers in late 19th-century Wyoming.—
Britt Hayes,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 June 2026
-
Men dressed in laborers’ rags responded with a triple roar for His Majesty.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Those whispers turned into roars in the bottom of the fifth inning when PCA sent a screamer down the first-base line and cruised into second for a double.—
Mark Harris OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026
-
Unsurprisingly, whispers and accusations of nepotism surround Max’s appointment, with Leon Rice having led the program as head coach since 2010, and the father-son connection is undeniably part of why Max returned to Boise State.—
Shaun Goodwin
June 8,
Idaho Statesman,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
Courts are also deciding lawsuits over whether workers were illegally fired in retaliation for doing their jobs under previous administrations.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
-
Much of his business relies on workers from India, which is home to 73% of H-1B visa holders, according to 2023 numbers from the Pew Research Center.—
Shanelle Kaul,
CBS News,
14 June 2026
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
Cite this Entry
“Grunts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grunts. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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