murmur

[mur-mer]

noun

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

   Synonyms: mumble, susurration, grumble, mutter, complaint

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: grouse

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

/ ˈmɜːmə /

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

verb

1. to utter (something) in a murmur

2. (intr) to complain in a murmur

Other Word Forms

• murmuring noun
• murmurer noun
• murmurous adjective
• murmuringly adverb
• murmurless adjective
• murmurlessly adverb
• unmurmured adjective
• unmurmuring adjective
• unmurmuringly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of murmur¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; verb murmur from Middle English murmuren, from Latin murmurāre “to mutter, make a gentle sound, roar, grumble,” a Latin development of mormor-, murmur-, a Proto-Indo-European onomatopoeic root that appears in Greek mormýrein “(of water) to boil noisily,” Sanskirt marmara- “rustling, rushing,” Lithuanian murmėti “to babble, mutter,” and German murmeln “to mumble, murmur”; noun murmur also from Middle English, from Latin

Word History and Origins

Origin of murmur¹

C14: as n, from Latin murmur; vb via Old French murmurer from Latin murmurāre to rumble

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.

Example Sentences

The tennis failed to captivate as the seats on Arthur Ashe Stadium started to fill out, with a constant murmur of chatter acting as a soundtrack to the action.

From BBC

I saw others with treasure maps, and only caught murmurs of the romantic soap operas unfolding among the crew.

From Los Angeles Times

The quiet murmuring of voices from the film playing on her screen helped her to drift off on a packed overnight flight.

From BBC

By Friday there murmurings of discontent in the India camp - questions of whether it was Gill or coach Gautam Gambhir calling the shots.

From BBC

Showy but intimate, talky yet supple, it’s murmuring assurances to rebut the very doubts he’s raising.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• babble 
• burble 
• growl 
• gurgle 
• hum 
• moan 
• mumble 
• mutter 
• purr 
• stammer 
• utter 
• whisper 

When To Use

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.