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Definition of grunion
grunion
/ˈɡrʌnjən/
grun · ion
Plural:grunions
grunion Lexical Profile
CEFR
C2
Grade
9
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
grunion Game Scores & Validity
Scrabble US
Scrabble UK
WWF
Wordle Guess
• noun
1
American A small, silvery marine fish of the silverside family, native to the coastal waters of southern California and Baja California, renowned for its unique reproductive behavior of coming entirely out of the water to spawn on sandy beaches during high nocturnal tides.
Example
"During the summer run, locals gathered on the beach at midnight with flashlights to catch the grunion by hand as they washed ashore."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for grunion• Rhymes for grunion
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from American Spanish 'gruñón' (meaning 'grunter'), from Spanish 'gruñir' (to grunt), originating from the Latin 'grunnire'. The name likely refers to a faint squeaking or grunting noise made by the fish when spawning.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Grunion. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 17, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/grunion