Wiktionary

grumble

EnglishEdit

EtymologyEdit

Probably from Middle French grommeler, from Old French grumeler (“to murmur, grumble”), from Middle Dutch *grommelen ("to murmur, mutter, grunt"; > Modern Dutch grommelen (“to grumble”)), frequentative of Middle Dutch grommen (“to growl, grunt”). Cognate with Middle Low German grummelen (> Low German grummeln (“to grumble”)), German grummeln (“to grumble”), Norwegian dialectal grymja (“to growl, grunt”).

PronunciationEdit

  • IPA(key): /ˈɡɹʌmbl̩/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ʌmbəl

NounEdit

grumble (plural grumbles)

  1. (onomatopoeia) A low thundering, rumbling or growling sound.
  2. The sound made by a hungry stomach.
  3. A surly complaint.
    That whiner is never without a grumble to share.

Derived termsEdit

TranslationsEdit

VerbEdit

grumble (third-person singular simple present grumbles, present participle grumbling, simple past and past participle grumbled)

  1. (intransitive) To make a low, growling or rumbling noise, like a hungry stomach or certain animals.
    The distant thunder grumbles.
    • 1995, Terry C. Johnston, Dance on the Wind, page 15:
      It made his stomach grumble in protest to think the mule was eating, and here he was worrying about her with an empty belly of his own.
  2. (intransitive) To complain; to murmur or mutter with discontent; to make ill-natured complaints in a low voice and a surly manner.
    He grumbles about the food constantly, but has yet to learn to cook.
  3. (transitive) To utter in a grumbling fashion.
    • 2001, Harry Willcox Pfanz, Gettysburg — the first day:
      He grumbled that there was no grain "in the country" and that people were talking instead of working to provide it.

SynonymsEdit

Derived termsEdit

TranslationsEdit

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

See alsoEdit

Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=grumble&oldid=71674611"