murmur

1 of 2

noun

mur·​mur ˈmər-mər How to pronounce murmur (audio)
Synonyms of murmurnext
1
: a half-suppressed or muttered complaint : grumbling
murmurs of disapproval
2
a
: a low indistinct but often continuous sound
a murmur of voices
the murmur of the waves along the shore
b
: a soft or gentle utterance
the murmur of nannies cooing into baby carriages—Nancy Gibbs
3
: an atypical sound of the heart typically indicating a functional or structural abnormality
The physician detected a heart murmur in his patient.

murmur

2 of 2

verb

murmured; murmuring; murmurs

intransitive verb

1
: to make a murmur
the breeze murmured in the pines
2
: complain, grumble

transitive verb

: to say in a murmur
murmurer noun

Synonyms

Noun

Verb

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of murmur in a Sentence

Noun the murmur of the crowd The suggestion brought murmurs of disapproval. He spoke in a murmur. They spoke to each other in murmurs. the murmur of the waves along the shore Verb He murmured something about having to get home. “Thank you,” she murmured as she left the room. The breeze murmured in the pines.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
On Saturday, as culmination to Marvel’s packed San Diego Comic-Con panel announcing the studio’s upcoming slate of projects, veteran MCU hands Anthony and Joe Russo appeared onstage alongside a phalanx of sinister metal-mask-wearing, robed figures to ecstatic cheers and awed murmurs. —Chris Lee, Vulture, 29 July 2024 Hinchcliffe said, prompting murmurs and scattered boos from the crowd. —Nina Turner, Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2024
Verb
Baraka took the stage, in a pink shirt and white sneakers, and delivered an address that kept the room murmuring and chuckling for more than an hour. —Kelefa Sanneh, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024 My Method Actor scatters luminous beads of sound design into a writhing body of hooks and vocal lines—sometimes murmured, others chanted, all interspersed with that trademark Yanya flourish that sounds like a sigh rising to a yelp. —Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 13 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for murmur 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, "continuous sound, complaint," borrowed from Anglo-French murmure (also continental Old French), probably noun derivative of murmurer "to murmur entry 2"

Verb

Middle English murmuren "to hum (of bees), growl, grumble, complain," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French murmurer "to grumble, complain" (Old French also "to murmur" [of a brook]), borrowed from Latin murmurāre "to make a low, continuous sound, mutter, grumble, complain," of onomatopoeic origin

Note: Alternatively the medieval French word could be descended from murmurāre if the onomatopoeic character of the word would override the regular vowel change of ŭ to ọ; this is the opinion of the Französisches etymologisches Wörterbuch.

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of murmur was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing murmur

Dictionary Entries Near murmur

Murmi

murmur

murmuration

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Murmur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/murmur. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

murmur

1 of 2 noun
mur·​mur ˈmər-mər How to pronounce murmur (audio)
1
: a muttered complaint : grumble
2
: a low, faint, and continuous sound
the murmur of bees
3
: an irregular heart sound typically indicating an abnormality in the heart's function or structure

murmur

2 of 2 verb
1
: to make a murmur
the breeze murmured in the pines
2
: to say in a voice too low to be heard clearly
murmurer noun

Medical Definition

murmur

noun
mur·​mur ˈmər-mər How to pronounce murmur (audio)
: an atypical sound of the heart typically indicating a functional or structural abnormality

called also heart murmur

More from Merriam-Webster on murmur

Nglish: Translation of murmur for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of murmur for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about murmur

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
little chihuahua dressing like a turkey for thanksgiving
Is That Gratitude or Attitude? A Thanksgiving Quiz Decide which words express gratitude and which gi...