Vocabulary     

What does murmur mean?

Definitions for murmur
ˈmɜr mərmur·mur

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word murmur.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. mutter, muttering, murmur, murmuring, murmuration, mussitationnoun

    a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech

  2. murmur vowel, murmurnoun

    a schwa that is incidental to the pronunciation of a consonant

  3. heart murmur, cardiac murmur, murmurnoun

    an abnormal sound of the heart; sometimes a sign of abnormal function of the heart valves

  4. grumble, grumbling, murmur, murmuring, mutter, mutteringverb

    a complaint uttered in a low and indistinct tone

  5. murmurverb

    speak softly or indistinctly

    "She murmured softly to the baby in her arms"

  6. murmur, mutter, grumble, croak, gnarlverb

    make complaining remarks or noises under one's breath

    "she grumbles when she feels overworked"

Wiktionary

  1. murmurnoun

    (countable) Low or indistinct sounds or speech.

  2. murmurnoun

    The sound made by any condition which produces noisy, or turbulent, flow of blood through the heart.

  3. murmurnoun

    A muttered complaint or protest; the expression of dissatisfaction in a low muttering voice; any expression of complaint or discontent

  4. murmurverb

    To grumble; to complain in a low, muttering voice, or express discontent at or against someone or something.

  5. murmurverb

    To speak or make low, indistinguishable noise; to mumble, mutter.

    I couldn't hear the words; he just murmured a lot.

  6. murmurverb

    To say (something) indistinctly, to mutter.

    I...heard thee murmur tales of iron wars. (Shakespeare, 1 Hen. IV., II. 3.51)

  7. Etymology: From murmur, murmor, murmour, from murmure (modern French murmure), from murmur, from mormur-. Reduplication points to imitative, onomatopoeic origin. Cognate with Sanskrit, Ancient Greek, Lithuanian murmėti, murmuron, murmulon, murra.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. MURMURnoun

    Etymology: murmur, Lat. murmure, Fr.

    Flame as it moveth within itself, or is blown by a bellows, giveth a murmur or interiour sound. Francis Bacon, Nat. Hist.

    When the wing’d colonies first tempt the sky,
    Or setting, seize the sweets the blossoms yield,
    Then a low murmur runs along the field. Alexander Pope.

    Some discontents there are; some idle murmurs;
    How idle murmurs!
    The doors are all shut up; the wealthier sort,
    With arms across, and hats upon their eyes,
    Walk to and fro before their silent shops. Dryden.

  2. To Murmurverb

    Etymology: murmuro, Lat. murmurer, Fr.

    The murmuring surge,
    That on th’ unnumber’d idle pebbles chafes,
    Can scarce be heard so high. William Shakespeare, King Lear.

    Amid an isle around whose rocky shore
    The forests murmur, and the surges roar,
    A goddess guards in her enchanted dome. Alexander Pope.

    The busy bees with a soft murmuring strain,
    Invite to gentle sleep the lab’ring swain. Dryden.

    The good we have enjoy’d from heav’n’s free will;
    And shall we murmur to endure the ill? Dryden.

    Murmur not at your sickness, for thereby you will sin against God’s providence. William Wake, Prep. for Death.

    The good consequences of this scheme, which will execute itself without murmuring against the government, are very visible. Jonathan Swift.

ChatGPT

  1. murmur

    A murmur is a soft, indistinct sound made by a person or a group of people speaking quietly or at a distance. It can also refer to a quiet, consistent sound such as produced by flowing water or rustling leaves. In medicine, a murmur refers to an abnormal sound, typically due to a faulty heart valve, heard when listening to the heart with a stethoscope.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Murmurverb

    a low, confused, and indistinct sound, like that of running water

  2. Murmurverb

    a complaint half suppressed, or uttered in a low, muttering voice

  3. Murmurverb

    to make a low continued noise, like the hum of bees, a stream of water, distant waves, or the wind in a forest

  4. Murmurverb

    to utter complaints in a low, half-articulated voice; to feel or express dissatisfaction or discontent; to grumble; -- often with at or against

  5. Murmurverb

    to utter or give forth in low or indistinct words or sounds; as, to murmur tales

  6. Etymology: [F. murmurer, L. murmurare, murmurari, fr. murmur murmur; cf. Gr. to roar and boil, said of water, Skr. marmara a rustling sound; prob. of imitative origin.]

Wikidata

  1. Murmur

    Murmur was a record label that started as an imprint of Sony Music Australia in mid-1994. Named after REM's first album, Murmur signed a number of Australia's most successful rock bands, including Silverchair, Ammonia, Something for Kate and Jebediah. Notable alumni of Murmur are John O'Donnell, a former Rolling Stone journalist who became the head of EMI Australia, and John Watson, who runs a music management company and independent record label, Eleven.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Murmur

    mur′mur, n. a low, indistinct sound, like that of running water: a complaint in a low, muttering voice.—v.i. to utter a murmur: to grumble:—pr.p. mur′muring; pa.t. and pa.p. mur′mured.—n. Mur′murer.—adj. Mur′muring, making a low continuous noise.—adv. Mur′muringly, with a low murmuring sound: in a murmuring manner.—adj. Mur′murous, attended with murmurs: exciting murmur.—adv. Mur′murously. [Fr.,—L.; imit.]

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Verbs Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'murmur' in Verbs Frequency: #684

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

How to pronounce murmur?

How to say murmur in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of murmur in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of murmur in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of murmur in a Sentence

  1. D. H. Lawrence:

    I believe that a man is converted when first he hears the low, vast murmur of life, of human life, troubling his hitherto unconscious self.

  2. D. H. Lawrence:

    I believe a man is born first unto himself --for the happy developing of himself, while the world is a nursery, and the pretty things are to be snatched for, and pleasant things tasted; some people seem to exist thus right to the end. But most are born again on entering manhood; then they are born to humanity, to a consciousness of all the laughing, and the never-ceasing murmur of pain and sorrow that comes from the terrible multitudes of brothers.

  3. Richard:

    The echo began in some indescribable way to undermine her hold on life. Coming at a moment when she chanced to be fatigued, it had managed to murmur, 'Pathos, piety, courage -- they exist, but are identical, and so is filth. Everything exists, nothing has value.'

  4. Wendy Williams:

    No. I don’t trust it, i’ve never gotten the flu shot either, though, and you and I have talked about that. Several of the doctors on my team have told me, ‘Wendy, get the flu shot.’ I’ve never had the flu. I’m not getting a flu shot. I very rarely get a cold. I never have headaches. I don’t take aspirin because I feel my heart murmur or something like that. I’m not getting it — no! I don’t trust it. There, I said it.

  5. Sir John Lubbock:

    Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.

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Popularity rank by frequency of use

murmur#10000#41253#100000

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Translations for murmur

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"murmur." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 14 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/murmur>.

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1 Comment
  • Grahame Elder
    Grahame Elder
    The little speaker icon that pronounces the word fails to work most of the time. I’m using Safari. It would be very nice in fact great if this speach icon was also present on the email body as well
    LikeReply7 years ago

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