grunting 1 of 2

noun

as in muttering
speech that is not clear enough to be understood says he talks in his sleep, but really it's just snorts and grunting

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

grunting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of grunt
as in mumbling
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

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 grunting
Noun
By pulling this string, the locals made an amplified grunting noise similar to that of a jaguar. — Delbert L. Chears, Outdoor Life, 5 Mar. 2026
Verb
More than 200 walruses were hauled out on the beach, grunting and groaning, wriggling and jostling for position. — Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 According to the complaint, Willis has been left completely incapacitated since a brief stint at Summit Malibu in early 2024, unable to move or communicate beyond occasionally opening her eyes and sometimes grunting. — Gustavo Turner, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2026 Readers have come to know that there’s a quiet philosophy under all of that grunting and talking with his hands. — Niela Orr, Vulture, 20 July 2026 The statue is dragged via ropes by grunting Trojans before being lurched upright against a sacred temple, once again jostling those inside. — David MacK, CNN Money, 18 July 2026 Roaring and grunting, his body sleek with blood and sweat, Conan tussles and grapples with a series of opponents, dominating them all, while an audience of torch-wielding vulgarians shouts and howls at the pit’s lip. — Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 15 June 2026 Once their tray was stuffed with Terry Black’s brisket, pork ribs, dino ribs, sausage and turkey, Heder and Ramirez both carried the tray off the table, grunting. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Mar. 2026 Immediately as Silva got out of his SUV, he was shot in the hand and soon after in the head, grunting and groaning in pain as blood spatter suddenly appeared on his uniform sleeve. — Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2026 Planet Fitness once made a point of banning denim in the gym, along with grunting, dropping dumbbells, and judging others. — Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grunting
  1. muttering
  2. mumbling
  3. grunt
  4. murmuring
  5. mutter
  6. whisper
Noun
  • The opportunity to send a raucous Bell Centre crowd home muttering was there in Game 3.
    — Eduardo A. Encina, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2026
Definition of muttering
Verb
  • Later that day, Rowley was drenched in sweat, rocking back and forth and mumbling incoherently as the poison – later identified as Novichok, a Russian nerve agent – took hold of him, too.
    — Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
  • Next up, maybe lawmakers can do something about overly soft, mumbling dialogue preceded by deafening explosions.
    — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 25 June 2026
Definition of mumbling
Noun
  • Still, the constant death against even low-level grunt enemies, let alone fearsome bosses, is annoying and obnoxious.
    — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Ranging from the sound of emergency sirens and birds screeching to low grunts and guttural hoots, their vocalizations reverberate from a sanctuary in the hot, dry hills of the Santa Clarita Valley, north of Los Angeles.
    — Jaimie Ding, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of grunt
Verb
  • Or at least squeezed in a solid couch nap with baseball/golf/soccer/primo history programming murmuring in the background.
    — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 22 June 2026
  • Alejo listens carefully, occasionally offering a tissue or murmuring consolations.
    — Megan Greenwell, Bloomberg, 9 June 2026
Definition of murmuring
Noun
  • Alice questions Mira while Frank mutters completely unhelpful asides from behind the glass partition.
    — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 28 July 2026
  • Six mutters and sighs and rolls his head as if profoundly exasperated.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
Definition of mutter
Noun
  • Maybe the lasting message of Furious, until its second season arrives, is that there are no answers — or at least, none that can be said louder than a whisper shared between new friends bonding during a jailhouse meeting.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The extent of his former client list was unearthed through whispers and gossip.
    — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of whisper

Browse Nearby Words

grunted
grunting
grunts
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grunting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grunting. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All