Meaning & use
murmur
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To speak very quietly, so that the words are soft and sometimes hard for others to catch.
Grammar: Can take a quoted or reported object: she murmured a reply; or stand alone: the crowd murmured.
Patterns
- murmur something
- murmur something to someone
- murmur that something
She murmured a quick apology and slipped out of the meeting.
"Don't wake the baby," he murmured to his sister.
The students murmured among themselves while the teacher searched for the file.
nouncountable
A soft, low, steady sound, such as quiet talking, running water or wind in leaves.
Grammar: Usually singular with a: a murmur of voices drifted in.
Patterns
- a murmur of something
- the murmur of something
We fell asleep to the murmur of the stream outside the tent.
A murmur ran through the audience when the lights went out.
The murmur of traffic faded after midnight.
nouncountablemedical
An unusual extra sound heard in the heartbeat through a stethoscope, sometimes a sign of a valve problem and sometimes harmless.
Grammar: Usually appears in the phrase heart murmur.
Patterns
- a heart murmur
The doctor heard a faint murmur and ordered a scan.
Many children have a harmless murmur that disappears with age.
A murmur in an adult may need further tests.
Word forms
| third person singular | murmurs |
|---|---|
| past tense | murmured |
| past participle | murmured |
| -ing form | murmuring |
| plural | murmurs |
Common combinations
- murmur softly
- She murmured softly so she would not disturb the sleeping patient.
- murmur in agreement
- Several people murmured in agreement when he finished speaking.
- a murmur of approval
- A murmur of approval went through the room as the cake appeared.
- a low murmur
- A low murmur of conversation came from the next room.
- murmur a prayer
- He bowed his head and murmured a prayer.
- without a murmur
- She accepted the extra work without a murmur.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mutter
- Mutter is also quiet but often suggests grumbling or annoyance, whereas murmur is usually gentle or neutral.
- whisper
- A whisper uses breath with little or no voice, while a murmur still uses a low, voiced sound.
- mumble
- Mumble stresses unclear, badly formed speech, which can sound careless; murmur sounds softer and more pleasant.
- hum
- Hum describes a steady sound without words, so it fits machines and bees better than speech.
Opposites
Word family
- murmuring noun
- quiet talk or sound, or quiet complaints
- murmurer noun
- a person who murmurs
- murmurous adjective
- full of soft, low sounds (literary)
Commonly confused: murmur or mummer?
murmur vs mummer
A mummer is an actor in a traditional folk play, and the word has nothing to do with speaking softly.
Practice
Which sentence uses murmur correctly?
Choose one answer.
Murmur means to speak softly, and an audience can murmur approval. The other options pair it with loudness or an impossible object.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “murmur”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.