slump
(slŭmp)
[Probably of Scandinavian originNorwegian slumpa, to slump.]
intransitive verb: slumped, slump·ing, slumps.
- To fall or sink heavily; collapse: She slumped, exhausted, onto the sofa.
- To droop, as in sitting or standing; slouch.
- To decline suddenly; fall off: Business slumped after the holidays.
- To perform poorly or inadequately: The team has been slumping for a month.
- To sink or settle, as into mud or slush.
- To slide down or spread out thickly, as mud or fresh concrete.
noun
- The act or an instance of slumping.
- A drooping or slouching posture: read defeat in the slump of his shoulders.
- A sudden falling off or decline, as in activity, prices, or business: a stock market slump; a slump in farm prices.
- An extended period of poor performance, especially in a sport or competitive activity: a slump in a batting average.
- See grunt
grunt
(grŭnt)
[Middle English grunten, from Old English grunnettanprobably akin to grunnian, to make a loud noise, grunt, of imitative origin.]
verb: grunt·ed, grunt·ing, grunts.
intransitive verb
- To utter a deep guttural sound, as a hog does.
- To utter a sound similar to a grunt, as in disgust.
transitive verb
- To utter or express with a deep guttural sound: He merely grunted his approval.
noun
- A deep guttural sound.
- Any of various chiefly tropical marine fishes of the family Haemulidae that, upon removal from the water, produce grunting sounds by rubbing together tooth plates in the throat.
- Slang An infantryman in the U.S. military, especially in the Vietnam War: “They were called grunts….They were the infantrymen, the foot soldiers of the war” (Bernard Edelman)
- Slang One who performs routine or mundane tasks.
- New England A dessert made by stewing fruit topped with pieces of biscuit dough, which steam as the fruit cooks. Also called slump
derivatives
- grunt́er
- noun
- grunt́ing·ly
- adverb
