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grumble

verb · noun

Simple meaning

To complain; to murmur or mutter with discontent.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

gruhmbuhl

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈɡɹʌmbəl

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. intransitive

    To complain; to murmur or mutter with discontent; to make ill-natured complaints in a low voice and a surly manner.

  2. intransitive

    To make a low, growling or rumbling noise, like a hungry stomach or certain animals.

  3. transitive

    To utter in a grumbling fashion.

noun

  1. A complaint uttered in a low and indistinct tone

  2. A surly complaint.

  3. The sound made by a hungry stomach.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C2 · Proficient
Frequency
Rare
Typical Use
Primarily written

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To complain; to murmur or mutter with discontent; to make ill-natured complaints in a low voice and a surly manner.

Used this way, grumble is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Moderate
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use grumble

  • “She grumbles when she feels overworked.”verb

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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

  • murmur

    To grumble; to complain in a low, muttering voice, or express discontent at or against someone or something.

  • rumble

    To murmur; to ripple.

  • croak

    To utter in a low, hoarse voice.

  • mutter

    Talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

verb

Sense: to complain

murmurcroakmutter

noun

Sense: complaint uttered in a low and indistinct tone

grouchRare

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.