mumble
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to speak in a low indistinct manner, almost to an unintelligible extent; mutter.
- Antonyms:
- articulate
-
to chew ineffectively, as from loss of teeth.
to mumble on a crust.
verb (used with object)
-
to say or utter indistinctly, as with partly closed lips.
He mumbled something about expenses.
-
to chew, or try to eat, with difficulty, as from loss of teeth.
noun
verb
-
to utter indistinctly, as with the mouth partly closed; mutter
-
rare to chew (food) ineffectually or with difficulty
noun
Related Words
See murmur.
Other Word Forms
- half-mumbled adjective
- mumbler noun
- mumbling adjective
- mumblingly adverb
- unmumbled adjective
- unmumbling adjective
Etymology
Origin of mumble
1275–1325; Middle English momelen, equivalent to mom ( me ) mum 1 + -elen -le; compare Dutch mommelen, German mummeln
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.
Instead, he mumbled something under his breath about creating a law to ban all exploring in his neighborhood, before sighing and finally heading up to join Duane.
From Literature
Drumming the fingers of his left hand on the counter, he mumbled to himself, “A half bushel.”
From Literature
He seemed about one step away from being one of those loony types who mumbled to themselves on the street downtown.
From Literature
The waves rumbled onto the reef and mumbled across the sand.
From Literature
He mumbled something about more tests being needed and quickly left the room.
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.
