grunts

grunts · noun/verb

imported

Definitions

noun/verb

  1. 1.

    Low, short, guttural sounds, typically made by pigs or by people expressing effort, dissatisfaction, or acknowledgment.

  2. 2.

    (Informal, military slang) Infantry soldiers, especially those doing difficult or unglamorous work.

  3. 3.

    To make a low guttural sound, typically to express displeasure or effort.

Forms

plural: grunts

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    grunt work — tedious, unglamorous, and difficult tasks
  • •
    more than grunts — requiring actual verbal communication

Related words

Antonyms: articulates, speaks
See also: groan, grunt, grunting, snort
Synonyms: groans, murmurs, snorts

Etymology

From Old English grunnettan ("to grunt"), an imitative word mimicking the sound pigs make. The military slang usage emerged during the Vietnam War era, possibly from the hard work and complaining associated with infantry soldiers.