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
The congresswoman, her staffer and I grumbled about how unpredictable the House schedule has been lately.
—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
1 July 2026
Certain organizations, like the Baltimore Orioles, are notorious for never having enough arms, which can lead to grumbling from teams that do, like the Tampa Bay Rays.
—
Brittany Ghiroli,
New York Times,
1 July 2026
Some soccer purists grumbled about the World Cup expanding this year from 32 to 48 teams.
—
Michael Cunningham,
AJC.com,
29 June 2026
Many of these same teen voters likely have parents who grumble about how nothing has changed regarding gun violence in this city, even though Illinois ranks among top states for the strictest gun laws in the nation.
—
Chicago Tribune,
26 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for grumble
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show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
1 July 2026
Certain organizations, like the Baltimore Orioles, are notorious for never having enough arms, which can lead to grumbling from teams that do, like the Tampa Bay Rays.
—
Brittany Ghiroli,
New York Times,
1 July 2026
Some soccer purists grumbled about the World Cup expanding this year from 32 to 48 teams.
—
Michael Cunningham,
AJC.com,
29 June 2026
Many of these same teen voters likely have parents who grumble about how nothing has changed regarding gun violence in this city, even though Illinois ranks among top states for the strictest gun laws in the nation.
—
Chicago Tribune,
26 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for grumble
Cite this Entry
“Grumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grumble. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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