murmur

American  

[mur-mer] / ˈmɜr mər /

noun

• murmurs
  plural

1. 

   a low, continuous sound, as of a brook, the wind, or trees, or of low, indistinct voices.

   Synonyms:

   mumble, susurration, grumble, mutter, complaint

2. a mumbled or private expression of discontent.

3. Also called heart murmur. Medicine/Medical.

   1. an abnormal sound heard on listening to the heart, usually through a stethoscope, produced by the blood passing through deformed cardiac valves.

   2. in some persons a similar sound heard when blood passes through normal valves.

4. Phonetics. a voice quality in which vibration of the vocal cords is accompanied by the escape of a great deal of air, as in the (h) of ahead; breathy voice.

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verb (used without object)

• murmurs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• murmured,
  past participle,  past
• murmuring
  present participle

1. to make a low or indistinct sound, especially continuously.

2. to speak in a low tone or indistinctly.

3. to complain in a low tone or in private.

   Synonyms:

   grouse

verb (used with object)

• murmurs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• murmured,
  past participle,  past
• murmuring
  present participle

1. to sound by murmurs.

2. to utter in a low tone.

   He murmured a threat as he left the room.

murmur British  

/ ˈmɜːmə /

noun

1. a continuous low indistinct sound, as of distant voices

2. an indistinct utterance

   a murmur of satisfaction

3. a complaint; grumble

   he made no murmur at my suggestion

4. med any abnormal soft blowing sound heard within the body, usually over the chest See also heart murmur

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verb

1. to utter (something) in a murmur

2. (intr) to complain in a murmur

Usage

What does murmur mean? To murmur is to make a continuous, low, and indistinct sound. Such a sound can be called a murmur. Examples include the sound of water in a stream, the wind through the trees, and the low, muffled sound of a TV in another room. This is the way the word is used in the phrase the murmur of the crowd, which refers to the collective sound of a lot of people talking at once. In contrast, the roar of the crowd refers to collective cheering and is much louder. Murmur also means to say something in a low tone that can’t be easily understood. Similar words are mutter and mumble. Murmuring in this way is often done to express discontent with whatever one is talking about. The thing that’s said can be called a murmur. This sense of murmur can also be used in a more figurative way to refer to a private expression of discontent, as in There were murmurs about a strike.  In the context of medicine, murmur is a short form of the term heart murmur, referring to an abnormal sound heard when listening to a heartbeat with a stethoscope (such a sound may indicate the presence of deformation in the heart valves). Example: The endless murmur of the creek was as good as a lullaby, soothing me to sleep.

Synonym Usage

Murmur, mumble, mutter mean to make sounds that are not fully intelligible. To murmur is to utter sounds or words in a low, almost inaudible tone, as in expressing affection or dissatisfaction: to murmur disagreement. To mumble is to utter imperfect or inarticulate sounds with the mouth partly closed, so that the words can be distinguished only with difficulty: to mumble the answer to a question. To mutter is to utter words in a low, grumbling way, often voicing complaint or discontent, not meant to be fully audible: to mutter complaints.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• murmurer
  noun
• murmuring
  noun
• murmurless
  adjective
• murmurous
  adjective
• unmurmured
  adjective
• unmurmuring
  adjective
• murmuringly
  adverb
• murmurlessly
  adverb
• unmurmuringly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• murmurs
  plural

Participles

• murmuring
  present
• murmured
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• murmur
  simple
• murmurs
  simple
• have murmured
  perfect
• has murmured
  perfect
• am murmuring
  progressive
• are murmuring
  progressive
• is murmuring
  progressive
• have been murmuring
  perfect progressive
• has been murmuring
  perfect progressive

Past

• murmured
  simple
• had murmured
  perfect
• was murmuring
  progressive
• were murmuring
  progressive
• had been murmuring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will murmur
  simple
• will have murmured
  perfect
• will be murmuring
  progressive
• will have been murmuring
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of murmur

First recorded in 1275–1325; verb murmur from Middle English murmuren, from Latin murmurāre “to mutter, make a gentle sound, roar, grumble,” a Latin development of mormor-, murmur-, a Proto-Indo-European onomatopoeic root that appears in Greek mormýrein “(of water) to boil noisily,” Sanskirt marmara- “rustling, rushing,” Lithuanian murmėti “to babble, mutter,” and German murmeln “to mumble, murmur”; noun murmur also from Middle English, from Latin

Explanation

A murmur is a quiet, blurred sound often heard from a distance. It can be comforting when you're little to fall asleep listening to the murmur of your parents talking downstairs. Murmur can also be a verb that means the same as mutter: you say something so quietly that your words can't be understood. You might be complaining about something — a murmur is often a sign that someone's not pleased. A heart murmur is an abnormal heart sound that can only be detected by a doctor with a stethoscope, it's so low and soft.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

murmur murmurs murmured murmuring

All 349 “murmurs” in the Twilight saga: In this very scientific investigation, Rachelle Hampton ranked and charted all the times Stephenie Meyer used the word murmur in her YA vampire series.

From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026

"The M4 is like a background murmur, you get used to it," added the property developer.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

There was something calming and oceanic about the rhythm of rolls and cracks around her, blending with the ambient murmur of banter and gossip into white noise.

From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026

Dozens of world leaders were discussing how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in a videoconference on Friday when a murmur went up among the presidents and prime ministers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

“That’s awful,” I murmur, picturing Edie red-eyed in the bathroom last week.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

In these murmurs, Ullom wonders how much modern technology has led us astray.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

“So good,” Chip murmurs, his eyes rolling back.

From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026

Each new alarm like this elicits anxieties and murmurs that souring private credit is about to become the new subprime mortgage crisis.

From Barron's ● May 30, 2026

With time on his hands, and having already heard murmurs about a gifted boy from Bihar, Naidu headed to another match being played simultaneously.

From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2026

“I like your bag, too,” murmurs Edie, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

Come for the many murmured quotes, stay for some top-notch literary analysis.

From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026

The gallery mostly follows his instructions as Maduro and Flores were led into the chamber shortly after noon, but some murmured or inhaled breath as he walked past.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Her mother murmured advice: “No one can take away what you’ve put in your own mind.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026

"It's the only thing that makes me forget what's going on," he murmured.

From Barron's ● Feb. 1, 2026

“It’ll take forever to organize this crowd,” Mama murmured from the porch.

From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles

Finally, the two states can no longer coexist, and she retreats permanently into delusion, murmuring “Whoever you are” to the doctor escorting her off to an asylum.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026

"Like starlings murmuring in the sky," Miller said.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2025

People kept stopping to talk to him, although they mostly made small murmuring noises, like the fake brook that runs through a suburban shopping center.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2025

Showy but intimate, talky yet supple, it’s murmuring assurances to rebut the very doubts he’s raising.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2025

Old Timothy never let up his hypnotic murmuring.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• babble
• burble
• growl
• gurgle
• hum
• moan
• mumble
• mutter
• purr
• stammer
• utter
• whisper