demur
Americanverb (used without object)
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demurs,
present (3rd person singular)
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demurred,
past participle, past
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demurring
present participle
noun
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the act of making objection.
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an objection raised.
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Law: Obsolete. a demurrer.
verb
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to raise objections or show reluctance; object
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law to raise an objection by entering a demurrer
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archaic to hesitate; delay
noun
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the act of demurring
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an objection raised
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archaic hesitation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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demursimple
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demurssimple
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have demurredperfect
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has demurredperfect
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am demurringprogressive
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are demurringprogressive
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is demurringprogressive
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have been demurringperfect progressive
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has been demurringperfect progressive
Past
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demurredsimple
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had demurredperfect
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was demurringprogressive
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were demurringprogressive
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had been demurringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of demur
1175–1225; Middle English demuren < Anglo-French demurer, Old French demorer < Latin dēmorārī to linger, equivalent to dē- de- + morārī to delay, derivative of mora delay
Explanation
If your mother asks you to clean your room and you refuse, you demur. And if your friend invites you to the Death Metal Forever concert but you hesitate, you demur. Whether you object, politely disagree, or hesitate, you demur. If Aunt Tilly offers to knit you a sweater, you might politely demur, being reluctant to accept. When she describes the bunnies she plans for the sweater, you would want to strongly demur, explaining that you are moving to Texas next week and will no longer need sweaters. And if you find yourself the defendant in a civil suit, you might file a demurrer, objecting to the plaintiff’s complaint. When you file that demurrer, you also demur.
Vocabulary lists containing demur
To Kill a Mockingbird
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Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "D"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I demur, along with members of the British royal family apparently.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2025
“State of the Union” put Musk’s post on the screen and host Jake Tapper read it to DeSantis before pressing him to condemn it — but the governor continued to demur.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 19, 2023
They did, however, demur from telling what both referred to ominously as “the fart story.”
From New York Times ● Nov. 3, 2022
Ask Heinicke or Turner how far he can go, how good he can be, and they’ll demur.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 25, 2021
Anytime a reporter asked whether he’d join the race for president, Barack would demur, saying simply, “I'm still thinking about it. It’s a family decision.”
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
When Leontes implores his friend to extend his stay, he demurs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
“I think it’s just kind of endearing and pretty damn accurate,” Robby demurs.
From Salon ● Jan. 8, 2026
Asked how she felt about being brought up in relation to the Lively drama, Meester demurs.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2025
Burton demurs when asked about what he wants to shoot next.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2024
Still, he demurs; what would her parents think?
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Piker demurred, but I wasn’t surprised by the line of questioning.
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026
Jennings demurred, though he too claimed he had a great 20-minute conversation with McConnell.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
But other Australian states have demurred from similar actions.
From BBC ● Mar. 29, 2026
Japan has so far demurred, citing legal obstacles to venturing into a war zone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 28, 2026
Before we began, Daliwonga invited Mda and Letlaka and his brother, George, to participate, but they demurred, preferring to listen to the two of us.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
After months of demurring, citing concerns about the weapons’ use and saying they were not necessary, U.S. officials have recently signaled a shift.
From New York Times ● Jul. 6, 2023
So far, McConnell is demurring and saying that Biden and McCarthy need to work this out themselves.
From Seattle Times ● May 5, 2023
Stewart’s primary complaint—and his reason for demurring as long as he did—was exactly what he said when he ultimately went on the air.
From Slate ● Apr. 25, 2023
After months of demurring, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art has made public a floor plan for its new building, designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2020
After they had been seated about the middle room with demurring and unwillingness to take seats, for politeness, Wang Lung went into the kitchen to bid the woman serve.
From "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
