gruff
adjective
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Definition of gruff
(Entry 1 of 2)
gruff
verbDefinition of gruff (Entry 2 of 2)
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Synonyms for gruff
Synonyms: Adjective
coarse, croaking, croaky, grating, gravel, gravelly, hoarse, husky, rasping, raspy, rusty, scratchy, throaty
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Examples of gruff in a Sentence
Adjective
Don't be fooled by his gruff manner—he's really very kind. He spoke in a gruff voice.Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Gears 5 begins by focusing on JD, the son of badass gruff manly man Marcus Fenix, who was the protagonist of the first generation of games. — Wired, "Gears 5: A War Game That Really Deals with War Trauma," 5 Sep. 2019 Neville Chamberlain was ‘nice’ and people were aghast at Winston Churchill’s gruff demeanor. — Bob Sellers, Fortune, "Here’s What It Would Take to Get to ‘Win-Win’ With China on Trade, Experts Say," 1 Sep. 2019 Peter Fonda plays a lonely beekeeper with a persistent limp, a gruff demeanor and a lifetime’s worth of regrets. — Justin Chang, chicagotribune.com, "Appreciation: The Peter Fonda role we should be talking about isn’t ‘Easy Rider,’ but ‘Ulee’s Gold’," 18 Aug. 2019 Vic is gruff and bumbling and often appears almost literally as a bull in a china shop. — Jake Coyle, Detroit Free Press, "Buddy comedy ‘Stuber’ runs on fumes," 11 July 2019 That started at the top with coach Mike Ditka, the gruff former NFL tight end whose penchant for cigars rubbed off on his team. — SI.com, "A History of Football in 100 Objects," 28 Aug. 2019 Peter Fonda plays a lonely beekeeper with a persistent limp, a gruff demeanor and a lifetime’s worth of regrets. — Justin Chang, chicagotribune.com, "Appreciation: The Peter Fonda role we should be talking about isn’t ‘Easy Rider,’ but ‘Ulee’s Gold’," 18 Aug. 2019 Peter Fonda plays a lonely beekeeper with a persistent limp, a gruff demeanor and a lifetime’s worth of regrets. — Los Angeles Times, "Appreciation: ‘Easy Rider’ made Peter Fonda an icon. ‘Ulee’s Gold’ made him an actor to remember," 17 Aug. 2019 Then more sad and happy things happen — things that Enzo, with his gruff inner monologue and his non-opposable thumbs, can only share with the people sitting on the other side of this celluloid. — Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, "The Art of Racing in the Rain is earnest, floppy-eared family entertainment," 6 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gruff.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for gruff
gruff
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of gruff
See the full definition for gruff in the English Language Learners Dictionary
gruff
adjective
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Kids Definition of gruff
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