How do you use the word "grouse" in a sentence?

Here are real-life examples of using "grouse": He's got nothing to grouse about. Tom is grouse hunting.

Grouse Meaning

/ɡɹaʊs/

Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

Definition

nounAny of various game birds of the subfamily Tetraoninae which inhabit temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere; specifically, the red grouse (Lagopus lagopus scotica) native to heather moorland on the British Isles.

nounAny of various game birds of the subfamily Tetraoninae which inhabit temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere; specifically, the red grouse (Lagopus scotica) native to heather moorland on the British Isles.

Sentence Examples

He's got nothing to grouse about.

Tom is grouse hunting.

Grouse feed on the young shoots of heather.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms:

beef crab bitch

Antonyms:

None

CEFR Practice Quiz

The passengers began to ____ about the long flight delay.

CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)

The ____ is a medium-to-large game bird that is frequently found in the moorlands and forests of northern regions.

Word Origin & History

Attested in the 1530s, as grows ("moorhen"), a plural used collectively. The origin of the noun is unknown; the following derivations have been suggested: * From Old French grue (“crane”) (modern French grue) or Medieval Latin gruta (“crane”), both from Latin grūs (“crane”). * Borrowed from Celtic or a different Medieval Latin word. * Imitative of the bird’s call. The verb is derived from the noun.

Literary Quotations & Historical Citations

"Among fowls for the table [of King Henry VIII] are crocards, winders, runners, grows, and peions, but neither Turky or Guiney-fowl." — 1531 January, “XXI. Extracts from a MS. Dated ‘apud Eltham, mense Jan. 22 Hen. VIII.’ Communicated to the Society by Owen Salusbury Brereton, Esq; Read at the Society of Antiquaries, April 9, 1772.”, in Archaeologia: Or, Miscellaneous Tracts Relating to Antiquity, volume III, London: […] Society [of Antiquaries of London]; and by Messieurs Whiston, White, Robson, Baker and Leigh, and Brown, published 1775, →OCLC, page 157:

"Looke to 't, young growſe: Ile lay it on, and ſure; / Take 't off who's wull." — 1633 (first performance), Benjamin Jonson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “A Tale of a Tub. A Comedy […]”, in The Workes of Benjamin Jonson. The Second Volume. […] (Second Folio), London: […] Richard Meighen, published 1640, →OCLC, Act II, scene i, page 70:

"The shy black grouse, “with an eye on every feather,” can only thrive in vast, absolutely undisturbed heath and moorlands. Therefore, unfortunately, there are not too many black grouse." — 1979, Rien Poortvliet, translated by Marlies Comjean, “The Black Grouse”, in The Living Forest: A World of Animals, New York, N.Y.: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.; Peacock Press/Bantam Books, →ISBN:

"I don’t know whether someone will go to the North Face this year. There you can find pure loneliness. In the base camp, you are only joined by snow grouses. Otherwise, it is extremely quiet, and you have the view of the North Face. You won’t meet anyone at the Kangshung Face too." — 2015 February 14, “Kaltenbrunner: “All Everest parties around one table!””, in Deutsche Welle, archived from the original on 31 Jan 2023:

"If you're cast for fatigue by a sergeant unkind, Don't grouse like a woman, nor crack on, nor blind; Be handy and civil, and then you will find That it's beer for the young British soldier." — 1890, Kipling, The Young British Soldier:

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