verb
- past tense and past participle of gruff; spoke in a rough, harsh, or unfriendly manner
Usage: informal; typically used to describe a gruff tone of voice or manner of speaking
Examples
- He gruffed a response when asked about his day.
- The old captain gruffed orders to the crew.
- She gruffed at the waiter who brought the wrong order.
- He gruffed out a greeting as we entered the room.
- The manager gruffed something unintelligible before walking away.