grumble - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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”).

grumble (plural grumbles)

  1. (onomatopoeia) A high 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.

the sound made by a hungry stomach

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.

to murmur or mutter with discontent