MEANING
1. To complain in a low, dissatisfied, or persistent way.
2. To produce a low, rough, rolling sound.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- grumble about delays
- grumble under one's breath
On the page
The crew grumbled about the new schedule.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- grumble
- Past tense
- grumbled
- Past participle
- grumbled
- Present participle
- grumbling
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- grumble
- Present continuous
- am/is/are grumbling
- Present perfect
- have/has grumbled
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been grumbling
- Past
- grumbled
- Past continuous
- was/were grumbling
- Past perfect
- had grumbled
- Past perfect continuous
- had been grumbling
- Future
- will grumble
- Future continuous
- will be grumbling
- Future perfect
- will have grumbled
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been grumbling
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: grumble; grumbles; grumbled; grumbled; grumbling Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: grumbles.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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