grump

American  

[gruhmp] / grʌmp /

noun

1. a person given to constant complaining.

2. Informal. the grumps, a depressed or sulky mood.

---

verb (used without object)

1. to complain or sulk.

grump British  

/ ɡrʌmp /

noun

1. a surly or bad-tempered person

2. (plural) a sulky or morose mood (esp in the phrase have the grumps )

---

verb

1. (intr) to complain or grumble

Etymology

Origin of grump

First recorded in 1835–45; probably back formation from grumpy

Explanation

A grouchy, complaining person is a grump. If you mope around all week during a rainy vacation with your family, don't be surprised if they call you a grump. Before grump came to mean a cranky person, the phrase the grumps was used for "a fit of ill-humor." The word may stem from a now-obsolete adjective, grum, "morose or surly." If your neighbor is a grump, he won't be amused by the massive water balloon fight in your yard — but it still may be worth baking him some cookies as an apology for scaring his little dog.

Example Sentences

Mitts’ personality is reminiscent of Sam Sylvia, Maron’s lovable grump of a director on Netflix’s wrestling dramedy “GLOW.”

From Salon • Jun. 4, 2025

Why it’s key: “Playing a lovable grump is hard; you can lose the audience if you play it too far,” says writer-director Cord Jefferson.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2024

At first, the grump does his best to scare off the invader.

From New York Times • Sep. 21, 2023

One is a cynical grump whose cold-hearted plot to steal Christmas dampens the festive mood.

From BBC • Dec. 12, 2022

If anything could make a person less of a grump, she thought, it was a cake baked specifically for him.

From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff