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grunt

 - 5 dictionary results

grunt

  [gruhnt]
Use grunt in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to utter the deep, guttural sound characteristic of a hog.
2. to utter a similar sound.
3. to grumble, as in discontent.
–verb (used with object)
4. to express with a grunt.
–noun
5. a sound of grunting.
6. New England Cookery. a dessert, typically of cherries, peaches, or apples sweetened and spiced, and topped with biscuit dough.
7. any food fish of the family Pomadasyidae (Haemulidae), found chiefly in tropical and subtropical seas, that emits grunting sounds.
8. Slang. a soldier, esp. an infantryman.
9. Slang. a common or unskilled worker; laborer.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME grunten, OE grunnettan, freq. of grunian to grunt; c. G grunzen, L grunnīre

Related forms:
grunt⋅ing⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To grunt
grunt   (grŭnt)   
v.   grunt·ed, grunt·ing, grunts

v.   intr.

  1. To utter a deep guttural sound, as a hog does.

  2. To utter a sound similar to a grunt, as in disgust.

v.   tr.
To utter or express with a deep guttural sound: He merely grunted his approval.
n.  

  1. A deep guttural sound.

  2. Any of various chiefly tropical marine fishes of the family Haemulidae that, upon removal from the water, produce grunting sounds by rubbing together tooth plates in the throat.

  3. Slang An infantryman in the U.S. military, especially in the Vietnam War: "They were called grunts....They were the infantrymen, the foot soldiers of the war" (Bernard Edelman).

  4. Slang One who performs routine or mundane tasks.

  5. New England A dessert made by stewing fruit topped with pieces of biscuit dough, which steam as the fruit cooks. Also called slump.


[Middle English grunten, from Old English grunnettan; probably akin to grunnian, to make a loud noise, grunt, of imitative origin.]
grunt'er n., grunt'ing·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
grunt [grənt]

  1. n.
    an infantry soldier. (Military. From the gutteral sound made by a pig, and anyone doing very heavy labor.) : Get those grunts out on the field at sunrise!
  2. n.
    a low-ranking or subservient person. (Someone who is likely to utter a grunt because of the discomforts of menial labor.) : Let's hire a grunt to do this kind of work.
  3. n.
    a belch. : Does that grunt mean you like my cooking?
  4. n.
    a hardworking student. : The grunts got Bs on the test. It was that hard!
  5. n.
    a wrestler. (Possibly in reference to a grunting pig.) : Two big grunts wearing outlandish costumes performed for the television cameras.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

grunt 
O.E. grunnettan, freq. of grunian "to grunt," probably imitative. The noun meaning "infantry" emerged in U.S. military slang during Vietnam War (first recorded in print 1969); used since 1900 of various low-level workers. Grunt work first recorded 1977.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

grunt

any of about 75 species of marine fishes of the families Pomadasyidae and Banjosidae (order Perciformes). Grunts are found along shores in warm and tropical waters of the major oceans. They are snapperlike but with weaker teeth and are named for the piglike grunts they can produce with their pharyngeal (throat) teeth. Some (genus Haemulon) are further characterized by bright, reddish mouth linings. Grunts are edible and valued as food, though most species are small. Some are noted for a behavioral trait in which two individuals approach and "kiss." The purpose of this, whether sexual or aggressive, is not known.

Learn more about grunt with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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