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

Derived Forms

• ˈmurmuring, nounadjective
• ˈmurmurer, noun
• ˈmurmurous, adjective
• ˈmurmuringly, adverb

Other Words From

• murmur·er noun
• murmur·less adjective
• murmur·less·ly adverb
• un·murmured adjective
• un·murmur·ing adjective
• un·murmur·ing·ly 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

He arrived on scene at 09:30 GMT but it was a further five hours before a hushed murmur rippled through the crowd, signalling the bird had become visible.

From BBC

Talk about his presidential prospects reduced to murmurs about whether he would be relevant in eight years.

From Los Angeles Times

“I remember when this state was the heartbeat of America, and now it’s just a murmur.”

From Los Angeles Times

As his coffin was loaded onto the hearse, the mourners fell silent, except for the soft murmur of weeping and prayer.

From BBC

It promises to be a sunnier week than at Dalmahoy in 1992, although there is a threat of rain - and there will definitely be more than a murmur in the media about the contest.

From BBC

Related Words

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

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?

• mutter
• mumble
• grumble
• buzz
• hum
• muttering
• rumble

What are some words that share a root or word element with murmur? 

• murmuration
• heart murmur

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

 

• crowd
• nature
• whisper
• talk
• low
• soft
• indistinct

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