Meaning & use
murk
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountableliterary
Thick, dull darkness or haze that makes it hard to see.
Grammar: Uncountable and often used with the: the murk of the swamp.
Patterns
- in the murk
- the murk of something
The fishing boat vanished into the murk of the early morning.
Little light reached the murk at the bottom of the lake.
We peered into the murk, but could see nothing.
noununcountablefigurative
A confusing or morally unclear situation in which the truth is hard to find.
Grammar: Often used figuratively with of: the murk of local politics.
Patterns
- the murk of something
Reporters tried to find the truth in the murk of the scandal.
He disappeared into the murk of the city's criminal world.
The murk of the legal case made it hard to follow.
verbtransitiveslanginformal
To kill or heavily defeat someone, in very informal slang.
Grammar: Takes an object: murk the opponent. Best avoided in formal writing.
Patterns
- murk someone
Our team murked the visitors 6-0 on Saturday.
He said he was going to murk anyone who stepped on the stage.
The rapper murked every other act at the show.
Word forms
| third person singular | murks |
|---|---|
| past tense | murked |
| past participle | murked |
| -ing form | murking |
Common combinations
- in the murk
- The island barely showed in the murk.
- through the murk
- The lights shone dimly through the murk.
- murk of the water
- We could not see the bottom in the murk of the water.
- murk of history
- Their origins are lost in the murk of history.
- cut through the murk
- The new evidence helped cut through the murk.
Synonyms and how they differ
- gloom
- Gloom suggests dim light and a sad mood, while murk suggests thick darkness or haze.
- haze
- Haze is lighter and less dark, often from heat or smoke, while murk suggests a heavier, dirtier dimness.
- darkness
- Darkness is simply the absence of light, but murk also suggests something thick or unclear.
- fog
- Fog is a weather term for water droplets in the air, whereas murk can be fog, dirty water or smoke.
Opposites
Word family
- murky adjective
- dark, cloudy or unclear
- murkily adverb
- in a dark or unclear way
- murkiness noun
- the quality of being dark or unclear
Commonly confused: murk or mark?
murk vs mark
A mark is a visible spot or sign, while murk is darkness or haze that hides things.
Practice
The detective struggled to find the truth in the ___ of conflicting stories.
Choose one answer.
Murk can mean a confusing, unclear situation. Mark, mercy and mirth do not fit this phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “murk”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.