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murmur
[ mur-mer ]
noun
- a low, continuous sound, as of a brook, the wind, or trees, or of low, indistinct voices.
Synonyms: , , , ,
- 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:
verb (used with object)
- to sound by murmurs.
- to utter in a low tone:
He murmured a threat as he left the room.
murmur
/ ˈɜːə /
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
- ˈܰܰԲ, nounadjective
- ˈܰܰ, noun
- ˈܰܰdzܲ, adjective
- ˈܰܰԲly, adverb
Other Word Forms
- ܰmܰ· noun
- ܰmܰ· adjective
- ܰmܰ··ly adverb
- ܲ·ܰmܰ adjective
- ܲ·ܰmܰ·Բ adjective
- ܲ·ܰmܰ·Բ·ly adverb
Word History and Origins
Origin of murmur1
Word History and Origins
Origin of murmur1
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
Before she took the stage, murmurs took over the green-clad crowd.
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.
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.
“I’m an independent,” before murmuring into her wine glass that her husband is a Republican.
There were uncomfortable murmurs inside the building after Mike Mitchell Jr.’s layup pulled Minnesota to within 36-33.
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More About Murmur
doesmurmur 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 doesmurmur come from?
The first records of the word murmur come from around the 1300s. It comes from the Latin word ܰܰ, 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 ... ?
are some other forms of murmur?
- murmuring (continuous tense verb, noun)
- murmurer (noun)
- murmurous (adjective)
are some synonyms for murmur?
are some words that share a root or word element with murmur?
are some words that often get used in discussing murmur?
How ismurmur 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)
We're nearly underway in Hawaii. Both teams take the field to the roar … err, murmur, of the crowd.
— Marek Warszawski (@MarekTheBee)
That period of fall has returned to New England where I look outside and murmur "yuck" under my breath.
— Drew Christ (@drewchrist_geo)
Try usingmurmur!
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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