Advertisement
Advertisement
murmur
[ mur-mer ]
noun
- a low, continuous sound, as of a brook, the wind, or trees, or of low, indistinct voices.
Synonyms: mumble, susurration, grumble, mutter, complaint
- a mumbled or private expression of discontent.
- Also called heart murmur. Medicine/Medical.
- an abnormal sound heard on listening to the heart, usually through a stethoscope, produced by the blood passing through deformed cardiac valves.
- in some persons a similar sound heard when blood passes through normal valves.
- Phonetics. a voice quality in which vibration of the vocal cords is accompanied by the escape of a great deal of air, as in the (h) of ahead; breathy voice.
verb (used without object)
- to make a low or indistinct sound, especially continuously.
- to speak in a low tone or indistinctly.
- to complain in a low tone or in private.
Synonyms: grouse
verb (used with object)
- to sound by murmurs.
- to utter in a low tone:
He murmured a threat as he left the room.
murmur
/ ˈmɜːmə /
noun
- a continuous low indistinct sound, as of distant voices
- an indistinct utterance
a murmur of satisfaction
- a complaint; grumble
he made no murmur at my suggestion
- med any abnormal soft blowing sound heard within the body, usually over the chest See also heart murmur
verb
- to utter (something) in a murmur
- intr to complain in a murmur
Derived Forms
- ˈmurmuring, nounadjective
- ˈmurmurer, noun
- ˈmurmurous, adjective
- ˈmurmuringly, adverb
Other Words From
- murmur·er noun
- murmur·less adjective
- murmur·less·ly adverb
- un·murmured adjective
- un·murmur·ing adjective
- un·murmur·ing·ly adverb
Word History and Origins
Origin of murmur1
Word History and Origins
Origin of murmur1
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
However, there’s some surprisingly good ANC out there that does a fine job of filtering everyday noise like the murmurs of a cafe, kids, and pets shuffling around the house, or traffic sounds outside the walls of an apartment.
Used this way, the fabric microphone might listen for murmurs.
This gun operates at a whisper-soft murmur, so you never have to worry about disturbing those around you, especially if you share a small space.
The game was a pitchers’ duel until, just like that, Pablo Sandoval swung the Atlanta Braves in front and turned Nationals Park into a gallery of light murmurs.
It was the low-level murmur of two people who had forgotten to go on mute, followed by giggling.
Selling off the extras, I saw my neighbor marvel at the scent and murmur that he wished he could afford one.
Then in a kind and soothing murmur he ran over the important points with Vance, who stood like one stunned.
The crowd on the floor responded with a half-hearted murmur of assent.
The mix of cooking segments, pop concerts, and celebrity interviews is met with an unappreciative murmur.
They occurred without a murmur of protest from the United States.
Bernard folded his hands together—almost devoutly—and stood gazing at her with a long, inarticulate murmur of satisfaction.
Her glance wandered from his face away toward the Gulf, whose sonorous murmur reached her like a loving but imperative entreaty.
The leaves were motionless, the river crept past without a murmur, the dark hills rose out of the distant desert like a wave.
At the store he would never have given in, but he was not accustomed to hearing so loud a murmur of approval greet the opposition.
“Akhab Khan prevented those Shia dogs from shooting you and Mayne-sahib,” went on the low murmur.
Advertisement
More About Murmur
What does murmur mean?
To murmur is to make a continuous, low, and indistinct sound. Such a sound can be called a murmur. Examples include the sound of water in a stream, the wind through the trees, and the low, muffled sound of a TV in another room.
This is the way the word is used in the phrase the murmur of the crowd, which refers to the collective sound of a lot of people talking at once. In contrast, the roar of the crowd refers to collective cheering and is much louder.
Murmur also means to say something in a low tone that can’t be easily understood. Similar words are mutter and mumble. Murmuring in this way is often done to express discontent with whatever one is talking about.
The thing that’s said can be called a murmur. This sense of murmur can also be used in a more figurative way to refer to a private expression of discontent, as in There were murmurs about a strike.
In the context of medicine, murmur is a short form of the term heart murmur, referring to an abnormal sound heard when listening to a heartbeat with a stethoscope (such a sound may indicate the presence of deformation in the heart valves).
Example: The endless murmur of the creek was as good as a lullaby, soothing me to sleep.
Where does murmur come from?
The first records of the word murmur come from around the 1300s. It comes from the Latin word murmurāre, meaning “to mutter,” “to make a gentle sound,” “to roar,” or “to grumble.” Murmur is thought to be based on onomatopoeia, which is the formation of a word by imitation of a sound.
In other words, murmur sounds like the thing it describes. When the people in a crowd all talk at the same time, you don’t hear the individual voices or conversations. Instead, you can only hear the murmur—the indistinct, collective chatter of all those voices combined. If you tried to imitate that sound, it may sound a bit like murmurmurmurmurmur.
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms of murmur?
- murmuring (continuous tense verb, noun)
- murmurer (noun)
- murmurous (adjective)
What are some synonyms for murmur?
What are some words that share a root or word element with murmur?
What are some words that often get used in discussing murmur?
How is murmur used in real life?
Murmur is commonly used as a both a verb and a noun. Most of its senses involve a low, indistinct sound.
My dad sees CNN discussing Bieber, starts yeling "Just put him in jail. And be done with it" walks away murmuring something about junk on TV
— Jana (@kasperka) January 23, 2014
We're nearly underway in Hawaii. Both teams take the field to the roar … err, murmur, of the crowd.
— Marek Warszawski (@MarekTheBee) December 25, 2017
That period of fall has returned to New England where I look outside and murmur "yuck" under my breath.
— Drew Christ (@drewchrist_geo) October 17, 2019
Try using murmur!
Which of the following words is a synonym of murmur?
A. mutter
B. mumble
C. grumble
D. all of the above
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse