Standard Lemma guide

harumph

intj · noun · verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /həˈɹʌm(p)f/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

intj

Meaning 1

An expression of disdain, disbelief, protest, refusal or dismissal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Harumph! She is welcome to try, but I'm not going to bother helping.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: applesauce, bender, bollocks, bosh, bugger off, bullcrap, bullcrud, bullfuck, bullshit, chinny reckon, codswallop, come off it, come on, c'mon, fiddle, fiddledeedee, fiddle-faddle, fiddlefart, fiddlestick, fiddlesticks, flummery, fuck off, gertcha, get away, get out of here, get out of it, get out of town, get outta here, get to fuck, gimme a break, give over, go on, harumph, Hookey Walker, horsefeathers, horse hockey, horseshit, malarkey, no, no way, nonsense, pshaw, pshh, pshht, pssh, pssht, pull the other leg, pull the other one, it's got bells on, it's got brass bells on, rubbish, stroll on, tell it to Sweeney, tell it to the judge, tell it to the marines, tell me another one, Walker, yeah, right, you're having me on, you're pulling my leg, bah, blech, bleck, faugh, faw, feh, foh, fough, gaw, pah, pfaugh, pfui, phht, pho, phoh, pht, piff, pish, poh, pooh, psht, pugh, puh, tush

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An expression of disdain, disbelief, protest, or dismissal; a huff, grunt, or snort.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I didn't get a harumph out of that guy.
  • Give the governor a harumph.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To make a huffing or snorting sound of disdain or dismissal; (figurative, by extension) to show one's disdain.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Onomatopoeic.

Across languages

Translations

4 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • German: missbilligen — show disdain
  • Serbo-Croatian: gunđati — show disdain
  • Serbo-Croatian: negodovati — show disdain
  • Swedish: fnysa — show disdain