grumble
Americanverb (used without object)
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to murmur or mutter in discontent; complain sullenly.
Tim always found something to grumble about.
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to utter low, indistinct sounds; growl.
Suddenly I heard my stomach grumble, and realized I hadn't had any lunch.
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to rumble.
The thunder grumbled in the west.
verb (used with object)
noun
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an expression of discontent; complaint; unhappy murmur; growl.
-
grumbles, a grumbling, discontented mood.
-
a rumble.
verb
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to utter (complaints) in a nagging or discontented way
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(intr) to make low dull rumbling sounds
noun
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a complaint; grouse
-
a low rumbling sound
Related Words
See complain.
Other Word Forms
- grumbler noun
- grumblingly adverb
- grumbly adjective
- ungrumbling adjective
Etymology
Origin of grumble
First recorded in 1580–90; perhaps frequentative of Old English grymman “to wail”; compare Dutch grommelen, German grummeln, French grommeler (from Germanic )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Whether they have been, are, may be, are not, or will be ‘engaged’ can be nobody’s business but their own …” Greeley grumbled.
From Literature
I grumbled as I walked over and sat down by Daisy’s side.
From Literature
I walked behind Red while my stomach grumbled with each footstep, the chant of food, food, food.
From Literature
“These people believe that you take the scab off of a wound and take it off again and again until something miraculous happens,” Boritt grumbles to the camera.
“Mom would let me take a shower first,” I grumble.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
