gruff
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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As Morrison jammed in the kitchen, Hansard said his request for one of his songs was met with a gruff response from Morrison.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
Senate, the gruff oysterman opened with a joke.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
The son of a Scottish immigrant, McCluskie had a reputation as a political street fighter and his gruff style complemented Becerra’s more measured, cerebral approach.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
The details were salacious and shocking to his peers, who’d known him as a socially awkward, occasionally gruff finance bro.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026
“Now,” she said in her gruff voice, “line up by age, youngest first.”
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
Dad was gruffer, but still avoided saying it outright.
From Slate ● May 29, 2018
Tanto is louder, Oz is gruffer, Rone is an old friend of Jack's from past tours of duty.
From The Verge ● Jan. 14, 2016
What light can Billy Joel shed on “Maybe I’m Amazed” or “Live and Let Die” when the only difference between Joel and McCartney’s performances is Joel’s slightly gruffer voice?
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2014
Bob Knight, his mentor long ago, is older and gruffer.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 26, 2013
It comes out gruffer than I intend on account of my spanking new voice.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
Possessing one of the sharpest minds in the business, Prince was one of its gruffest truth-tellers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2019
Here bringing heart to what could be a harsh cad, in even his his gruffest, roughest performances, Finney always found an emotional center that allowed audiences in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 8, 2019
“Loving you is complicated,” he announces, in his gruffest tone: the “you” is himself, hip-hop, and his own success.
From The New Yorker ● Mar. 18, 2015
Mr. Bradlee looked up from his omnipresent crossword puzzle, “and in his gruffest voice,” Pincus recalled, “he said, ‘You ought to be paying me for all the fun you’re having.’ ”
From Washington Post
"What do you mean by bringing me this dirty piece of paper?" shouted the king in his biggest, deepest, gruffest voice.
From Fairy Tales from Brazil How and Why Tales from Brazilian Folk-Lore by Elsie Spicer Eells
Vocabulary lists containing gruff
100 SAT Words Beginning with "G"
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The Girl Who Drank the Moon
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Auggie & Me
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