grumble
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++grum·ble /ˈɡrʌmbəl/ ●○○ verb 1 COMPLAIN[intransitive, transitive] to keep complaining in an unhappy way 不断地发牢骚，抱怨 SYN moangrumble about/at Farmers are always grumbling about the weather. 农民老是在抱怨天气。grumble that A few passengers grumbled that their cabins were too small. 有几个乘客抱怨座舱太小。 ‘This is boring, ’ Kathleen grumbled. “这真无聊。”凯瑟琳抱怨道。► see thesaurus at complain2 [intransitive] to make a low continuous sound 发出隆隆声 SYN rumble Thunder grumbled overhead. 头顶上雷声隆隆。3 mustn’t/can’t grumble British English spokenCOMPLAIN used to say that you are fairly healthy and happy 还不错〔用来表示自己健康愉悦〕 ‘How are you today?’ ‘Mustn’t grumble.’ “你今天好吗？”“还不错。” —grumble noun [countable] the usual grumbles about pay 对工资的经常性抱怨→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
grumble• She grumbles a bit about me waking her up, but I don't think she minds all that much.• She was grumbling about having to work so late.• The people standing beside me were grumbling about not being able to find a place to park.• Slaves mumble, workers grumble and students mutter.• The old man turned away, grumbling as he went.• I remember now Mrs Maybury grumbling because she'd had to do it all herself.• Thunder grumbled in the distance.• Although she grumbles that T.S. Eliot does so much, she is all game for it herself.• That they exist is something of a miracle, so one should not grumble that the lines are often inaudible.• Mrs Archer grumbled to Janey, the only witness of her slight lapses from perfect sweetness.grumble that• Company executives grumble that analysts are obsessed with short-term performance at the expense of long-term growth and profitability.• The spectator wandered off grumbling that Jamie had dented his ladder.• But there are still grumbles that much insider dealing goes unpunished.• One morning he grumbled that she had told him the night before that he was the worst President since Jimmy Carter.• His parishioners had grumbled that streetwalkers propositioned them after his sermons.• Although she grumbles that T.S. Eliot does so much, she is all game for it herself.• That they exist is something of a miracle, so one should not grumble that the lines are often inaudible.• Class divisions have reappeared: private entrepreneurs grumble that ungrateful workers have forgotten how bad things were a year ago.Origin grumble (1500-1600) Probably from Old French grommeler, from Middle Dutch grommengrum·ble verbChineseSyllable
unhappy an way in Corpus keep complaining to
grumble
grum‧ble /ˈɡrʌmbəl/
verb
SYN moan
grumble about/at
Farmers are always grumbling about the weather.
grumble that
A few passengers grumbled that their cabins were too small.
‘This is boring,’ Kathleen grumbled.
2. [intransitive] to make a low continuous sound
SYN rumble:
Thunder grumbled overhead.
3. mustn’t/can’t grumble British English spoken used to say that you are fairly healthy and happy:
‘How are you today?’ ‘Mustn’t grumble.’
—grumble noun [countable]:
the usual grumbles about pay
▪ complain to say that you are annoyed, unhappy, or not satisfied about something or someone: Several customers complained about the service they received. | ‘I wish you’d stop telling me what to do,’ she complained.
▪make a complaint to formally complain about something to someone in authority: His parents made a complaint to the head teacher.
▪protest to complain about something that you think is wrong, especially publicly: Demonstrators were protesting against the war.
▪object to say that you oppose or disapprove of something: Local residents have objected to the plan. | Some teachers objected to the scheme.
▪grumble to keep complaining in a bad-tempered way about something: Rail travellers have been grumbling about the increase in ticket prices. | What’s he grumbling about now?
▪moan/whine informal (also whinge /wɪndʒ/ British English informal) to keep complaining in an annoying way: Everyone was moaning about the hotel food. | Stop whingeing and get on with your work!
▪kick up/make a fuss to complain or become angry about something, especially something that is not very important: The soup wasn’t hot enough, but he didn’t want to make a fuss. | He kicked up such a fuss that they were offered another room.
grum‧ble /ˈɡrʌmbəl/
verb Date: 1500-1600
Origin: Probably from Old French grommeler, from Middle Dutch grommen
1. [intransitive and transitive] to keep complaining in an unhappy way Origin: Probably from Old French grommeler, from Middle Dutch grommen
SYN moan
grumble about/at
grumble that
2. [intransitive] to make a low continuous sound
SYN rumble:
3. mustn’t/can’t grumble British English spoken used to say that you are fairly healthy and happy:
—grumble noun [countable]:
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complain to say that you are annoyed, unhappy or not satisfied about sb/sth 指抱怨、埋怨、投诉、发牢骚 ：◆ 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 sth to show that you disagree with or disapprove of sth, especially publicly; to give sth as a reason for protesting 指公开反对、抗议或申辩 ：◆ 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 or disapprove of sth; to give sth as a reason for objecting 指不同意、不赞成、反对或抗辩 ：◆ 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 ( to complain about sb/sth in a bad-tempered wayrather
指咕哝、嘟囔、发牢骚 ：◆ They kept grumbling that they were cold. 他们不停地嘟囔着说冷。 moan ( to complain about sb/sth in an annoying wayBrE rather
指抱怨、埋怨 ：◆ What are you moaning on about now? 你在抱怨什么呢？ whine ( to complain in an annoying, crying voicerather
指哭哭啼啼或哭嚷着诉说 ：◆ 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。 NOTE Whine is often used to talk about the way that young children complain.* whine 通常用于小孩子抱怨。
Patterns
to complain/protest/grumble/moan/whine about sthto complain/protest/grumble/moan at sthto complain/protest/object/grumble/moan/whine to sbto complain/protest/object/grumble/moan/whine that…