Meanings
plural grumbles
- onomatopoeicA high thundering, rumbling or growling sound.
present singular third person grumbles · participle present grumbling · participle past grumbled · past grumbled
- intransitiveTo make a low, growling or rumbling noise, like a hungry stomach or certain animals.
The distant thunder grumbles.
1 more example
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.
1995, Terry C. Johnston, Dance on the Wind, page 15 - intransitiveTo 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.
1 more example
They sea-saw'd high, They sea-saw'd low, At length they both did tumble, We both are down We both must own, Let neither of us grumble.
1810, Jack and Jill, and old Dame Gill, York: J. Kendrew, page 9 - transitiveTo utter in a grumbling fashion.
He grumbled that there was no grain "in the country" and that people were talking instead of working to provide it.
2001, Harry Willcox Pfanz, Gettysburg — the first day
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna complaint uttered in a low and indistinct tone
verbmake complaining remarks or noises under one's breath
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Dutchgrommen“to growl, grunt”
- Middle Dutch*grommelen
- Old Frenchgrumeler“to murmur, grumble”
- Middle Frenchgrommeler
- Englishgrumble
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”).
More words from Middle French, Old French, Middle Dutch
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek γρύζω, γογγύζω
- γρύζω (grúzō)to make a low growling or rumbling animal noise
- γογγύζω (gongúzō)to murmur or mutter with discontent
Arabic قَمْقَمَ
- قَمْقَمَ (qamqama)to murmur or mutter with discontent
Bulgarian тътен, куркане
- тътен (tăten)a high thundering, rumbling or growling sound
- куркане (kurkane)the sound made by a hungry stomach
- къркорене (kărkorene)the sound made by a hungry stomach
- мърморене (mărmorene)surly complaint
- ръмжа (rămža)to make a low growling or rumbling animal noise
- куркам (kurkam)to make a growling or rumbling stomach noise
- мърморя (mărmorja)to murmur or mutter with discontent
- мрънкам (mrănkam)to murmur or mutter with discontent
Catalan rondinar
- rondinarto murmur or mutter with discontent
Czech kručení
- kručeníthe sound made by a hungry stomach
Dutch gegrommel, geknor
- gegrommelthe sound made by a hungry stomach
- geknorthe sound made by a hungry stomach
- grommenthe sound made by a hungry stomach
- grommento make a low growling or rumbling animal noise
- knorrento make a low growling or rumbling animal noise
- grommento make a growling or rumbling stomach noise
- grommelento make a growling or rumbling stomach noise
- grommento murmur or mutter with discontent
- grommelento murmur or mutter with discontent
- morrento murmur or mutter with discontent
Esperanto grumbli
- grumblisurly complaint
Finnish karjunta, ärjyntä
- karjuntaa high thundering, rumbling or growling sound
- ärjyntäa high thundering, rumbling or growling sound
- mylvintäa high thundering, rumbling or growling sound
- kurnintathe sound made by a hungry stomach
- kurnausthe sound made by a hungry stomach
- karjuato make a low growling or rumbling animal noise
- ärjyäto make a low growling or rumbling animal noise
- mylviäto make a low growling or rumbling animal noise
- kurniato make a growling or rumbling stomach noise
- kurnatato make a growling or rumbling stomach noise
- purnatato murmur or mutter with discontent
- valittaato murmur or mutter with discontent
French grondement, gargouillement
- grondementa high thundering, rumbling or growling sound
- gargouillementthe sound made by a hungry stomach
- grondementthe sound made by a hungry stomach
- grognementsurly complaint
- gronderto make a low growling or rumbling animal noise
- gargouillerto make a growling or rumbling stomach noise
- ronchonnerto murmur or mutter with discontent
- bougonnerto murmur or mutter with discontent
- rouspéterto murmur or mutter with discontent
- grognerto murmur or mutter with discontent
- grommelerto murmur or mutter with discontent
- maugréerto murmur or mutter with discontent
German Gegrummel, Grummeln
- Gegrummela high thundering, rumbling or growling sound
- Grummelna high thundering, rumbling or growling sound
- Knurrenthe sound made by a hungry stomach
- murrento murmur or mutter with discontent
Greek γογγύζω, γκρινιάζω
- γογγύζω (gongýzo)to murmur or mutter with discontent
- γκρινιάζω (gkriniázo)to murmur or mutter with discontent
Indonesian menggerutu, merajuk
- menggerutusurly complaint
- merajukto murmur or mutter with discontent
Irish geonaíl, bí ag clamhsán
- geonaíla high thundering, rumbling or growling sound
- bí ag clamhsánto murmur or mutter with discontent
- déan clamhsánto murmur or mutter with discontent
Italian protestare
- protestarea high thundering, rumbling or growling sound
Latin ganniō
- ganniōto murmur or mutter with discontent
Māori wauwau, whakangutungutu
- wauwauto murmur or mutter with discontent
- whakangutungututo murmur or mutter with discontent
- whakanonenoneto murmur or mutter with discontent
- hakuhakuto murmur or mutter with discontent
Persian ژکیدن
- ژکیدن (žakidan)to murmur or mutter with discontent
Portuguese rosnado, rosnar
- rosnadoa high thundering, rumbling or growling sound
- rosnarto make a low growling or rumbling animal noise
- rosnarto murmur or mutter with discontent
- resmungarto murmur or mutter with discontent
Romanian chiorăi, ghiorțăi
- chiorăithe sound made by a hungry stomach
- ghiorțăithe sound made by a hungry stomach
- borborismthe sound made by a hungry stomach
- borborigmethe sound made by a hungry stomach
Russian рыча́ние, урча́ние
- рыча́ние (ryčánije)a high thundering, rumbling or growling sound
- урча́ние (určánije)the sound made by a hungry stomach
- рыча́ть (ryčátʹ)to make a low growling or rumbling animal noise
- урча́ть (určátʹ)to make a growling or rumbling stomach noise
- бурча́ть (burčátʹ)to make a growling or rumbling stomach noise
- ворча́ть (vorčátʹ)to murmur or mutter with discontent
- бурча́ть (burčátʹ)to murmur or mutter with discontent
- брюзжа́ть (brjuzžátʹ)to murmur or mutter with discontent
Spanish refunfuñadura, gruñido
- refunfuñaduraa high thundering, rumbling or growling sound
- gruñidothe sound made by a hungry stomach
- gruñirto make a growling or rumbling stomach noise
- refunfuñarto murmur or mutter with discontent
- rezongarto murmur or mutter with discontent
- lamentarseto murmur or mutter with discontent
- rezonglarto murmur or mutter with discontent
- verraquearto murmur or mutter with discontent
- varraquearto murmur or mutter with discontent
- rosigarto murmur or mutter with discontent
Ukrainian бурчати
- бурчати (burčaty)to murmur or mutter with discontent
Vietnamese lầm bầm, lẩm bẩm
- lầm bầma high thundering, rumbling or growling sound
- lẩm bẩmto murmur or mutter with discontent
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with grumble
All rhymes →Cite this entry
grumble. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/grumble
“grumble.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/grumble. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “grumble,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/grumble.
Source: grumble on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.