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View synonyms for

murmur

[ mur-mer ]

noun

  1. a low, continuous sound, as of a brook, the wind, or trees, or of low, indistinct voices.

    Synonyms: , , , ,

  2. a mumbled or private expression of discontent.
  3. Also called heart murmur. Medicine/Medical.
    1. an abnormal sound heard on listening to the heart, usually through a stethoscope, produced by the blood passing through deformed cardiac valves.
    2. in some persons a similar sound heard when blood passes through normal valves.
  4. 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)

  1. to make a low or indistinct sound, especially continuously.
  2. to speak in a low tone or indistinctly.
  3. to complain in a low tone or in private.

    Synonyms:

verb (used with object)

  1. to sound by murmurs.
  2. to utter in a low tone:

    He murmured a threat as he left the room.

murmur

/ ˈ³¾ÉœË³¾É™ /

noun

  1. a continuous low indistinct sound, as of distant voices
  2. an indistinct utterance

    a murmur of satisfaction

  3. a complaint; grumble

    he made no murmur at my suggestion

  4. med any abnormal soft blowing sound heard within the body, usually over the chest See also heart murmur
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged†2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to utter (something) in a murmur
  2. intr to complain in a murmur
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged†2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈ³¾³Ü°ù³¾³Ü°ù¾±²Ô²µ, nounadjective
  • ˈ³¾³Ü°ù³¾³Ü°ù±ð°ù, noun
  • ˈ³¾³Ü°ù³¾³Ü°ù´Ç³Ü²õ, adjective
  • ˈ³¾³Ü°ù³¾³Ü°ù¾±²Ô²µly, adverb
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Other ˜yÐÄvlog Forms

  • ³¾³Ü°ùm³Ü°ù·±ð°ù noun
  • ³¾³Ü°ùm³Ü°ù·±ô±ð²õ²õ adjective
  • ³¾³Ü°ùm³Ü°ù·±ô±ð²õ²õ·ly adverb
  • ³Ü²Ô·³¾³Ü°ùm³Ü°ù±ð»å adjective
  • ³Ü²Ô·³¾³Ü°ùm³Ü°ù·¾±²Ô²µ adjective
  • ³Ü²Ô·³¾³Ü°ùm³Ü°ù·¾±²Ô²µÂ·ly adverb
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˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of murmur1

First recorded in 1275–1325; verb murmur from Middle English murmuren, from Latin ³¾³Ü°ù³¾³Ü°ùÄå°ù±ð “to mutter, make a gentle sound, roar, grumble,†a Latin development of mormor-, murmur-, a Proto-Indo-European onomatopoeic root that appears in Greek ³¾´Ç°ù³¾Ã½°ù±ð¾±²Ô “(of water) to boil noisily,†Sanskirt marmara- “rustling, rushing,†Lithuanian ³¾³Ü°ù³¾Ä—³Ù¾± “to babble, mutter,†and German murmeln “to mumble, murmurâ€; noun murmur also from Middle English, from Latin
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˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of murmur1

C14: as n, from Latin murmur; vb via Old French murmurer from Latin ³¾³Ü°ù³¾³Ü°ùÄå°ù±ð to rumble
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Synonym Study

Murmur, mumble, mutter mean to make sounds that are not fully intelligible. To murmur is to utter sounds or words in a low, almost inaudible tone, as in expressing affection or dissatisfaction: to murmur disagreement. To mumble is to utter imperfect or inarticulate sounds with the mouth partly closed, so that the words can be distinguished only with difficulty: to mumble the answer to a question. To mutter is to utter words in a low, grumbling way, often voicing complaint or discontent, not meant to be fully audible: to mutter complaints.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

There were murmurings of her potentially taking the vacancy before Lewis took the role in 2022, but Edwards wanted a little more time to establish herself in domestic cricket and around the franchise circuit.

From

The potential rematch against the team that knocked the Bruins out of the tournament last season sent murmurs around UCLA’s selection show watch party last week.

From

“I’m an independent,†before murmuring into her wine glass that her husband is a Republican.

From

There were uncomfortable murmurs inside the building after Mike Mitchell Jr.’s layup pulled Minnesota to within 36-33.

From

At every ceremony I attended, there was at least one person in the crowd murmuring about how the thousands of dollars spent could be better used for developing the town or funding scholarships.

From

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More About Murmur

What doesÌýmurmur 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.ÌýÌý

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 doesÌýmurmur come from?

The first records of the word murmur come from around the 1300s. It comes from the Latin word ³¾³Ü°ù³¾³Ü°ùÄå°ù±ð, 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?Ìý

What are some words that often get used in discussing murmur?

Ìý

How isÌýmurmur 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.

Ìý

Ìý

Try usingÌýmurmur!

Which of the following words is a synonym of murmur?

A. mutter
B. mumble
C. grumble
D. all of the above

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