grumble

verb
🔊/ˈɡrʌmbl/
🔊/ˈɡrʌmbl/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they grumble
🔊/ˈɡrʌmbl/
🔊/ˈɡrʌmbl/
he / she / it grumbles
🔊/ˈɡrʌmblz/
🔊/ˈɡrʌmblz/
past simple grumbled
🔊/ˈɡrʌmbld/
🔊/ˈɡrʌmbld/
past participle grumbled
🔊/ˈɡrʌmbld/
🔊/ˈɡrʌmbld/
-ing form grumbling
🔊/ˈɡrʌmblɪŋ/
🔊/ˈɡrʌmblɪŋ/
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  1. [intransitive, transitive] to complain about somebody/something, especially something that is not really very serious咕哝;嘟囔;发牢骚
    • grumble (at/to somebody) (about/at somebody/something) She's always grumbling to me about how badly she's treated at work.她总是向我抱怨她在工作中如何受亏待。🔊🔊
    • + speech ‘I'll just have to do it myself,’ he grumbled.“我只好自己动手了。” 他咕哝着说。🔊🔊
    • grumble that… They kept grumbling that they were cold.他们不停地嘟囔着说冷。🔊🔊
    Synonyms complaincomplain
    • protest
    • object
    • grumble
    • moan
    • whine
    These words all mean to say that you are annoyed, unhappy or not satisfied about somebody/​something.
    • complain to say that you are annoyed, unhappy or not satisfied about somebody/​something:
      • I’m going to complain to the manager about this.我要就这件事向经理投诉。
    • protest to say or do something to show that you disagree with something or think it is bad, especially publicly; to give something as a reason for protesting:
      • Students took to the streets to protest against the decision.学生走上街头抗议这项决定。
    • object to say that you disagree with something or think it is bad; to give something as a reason for objecting:
      • If nobody objects, we’ll postpone the meeting till next week.如果没有人反对,我们就把会议推迟到下周。
      • He objected that the police had arrested him without sufficient evidence.他抗辩说警察没有充分证据就逮捕了他。
    • grumble (rather informal, disapproving) to complain about somebody/​something, especially something that is not really very serious:
      • They kept grumbling that they were cold.他们不停地嘟囔着说冷。
    • moan (British English, rather informal, disapproving) to complain about somebody/​something in an annoying way:
      • What are you moaning about now?你在嘟囔些什么?
    • whine (rather informal, disapproving) to complain in an annoying, crying voice:
      • Stop whining!别哭哭啼啼的!
      • ‘I want to go home,’ whined Toby.“我要回家。”托比哼哼唧唧地说。
      Whine is often used to talk about the way that young children complain.
    Patterns
    • to complain/​protest/​grumble/​moan/​whine about something
    • to complain/​protest/​grumble/​moan at something
    • to complain/​protest/​object/​grumble/​moan/​whine to somebody
    • to complain/​protest/​object/​grumble/​moan/​whine that…
    Extra Examples
    • He was always grumbling at me.他一直在对我抱怨。
    • I can't bear people who grumble about the weather.我不能忍受对天气发牢骚的人。
    • She grumbled at having to carry so many boxes.她抱怨必须携带这么多箱子。
    • We're all well at the moment, so I can't grumble.目前我们都很好,所以我不能抱怨。
  2. [intransitive] to make a deep continuous sound咕隆;发轰隆声 synonym rumble
    • Thunder grumbled in the distance.远处雷声隆隆。🔊🔊
  3. Word Originlate 16th cent.: from obsolete grumme (probably of Germanic origin and related to Dutch grommen) + -le.

grumble

noun
🔊/ˈɡrʌmbl/
🔊/ˈɡrʌmbl/
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  1. grumble (about something) | grumble (that…) something that you complain about because you are not satisfied嘟囔;牢骚
    • My main grumble is about the lack of privacy.我最大的抱怨是缺乏私密性。🔊🔊
    • Her mother had a grumble at her for not tidying up the mess.她的母亲因没有整理好事情而对她发牢骚。
    • There were a few grumbles that staff hadn’t been consulted first.有一些抱怨没有先征询员工的意见。
  2. a long low sound咕隆声;隆隆声 synonym rumble
    • a distant grumble of thunder远处隆隆的雷声
  3. Word Originlate 16th cent.: from obsolete grumme (probably of Germanic origin and related to Dutch grommen) + -le.