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

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

Medical staff took blood tests and he was admitted for a blood transfusion to address low haemoglobin levels, as well as investigations into his heart murmur.

From BBC ● May 5, 2026

“It never dawned on me that four years later I’d be like, the murmur is bigger than it ever was,” Glannan said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026

In 2018, during another hospital visit, doctors detected a heart murmur.

From BBC ● Dec. 13, 2025

But finally there was a murmur from die front of the line.

From "A Monster of a Mystery (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #5)" by Franklin W. Dixon

More and more issues — upset tummies, heart murmurs, pancreatitis attacks — crept in with every passing year.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

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

From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026

The main corridor linking the two golden shrines and the surrounding alleyways were once alive with the murmurs of tourists walking to prayers.

From Barron's ● May 4, 2026

Concerns about the relative impact of boxers and briefs on fertility, for instance, have given way to today’s murmurs about plastic, testosterone and population rates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026

“Good luck,” Jennifer murmurs as I leave the room.

From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson

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 all in God's hands," she murmured, lifting her eyes upward.

From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Feb. 1, 2026

He clearly relishes soft playing, with sensitive effects of distant bells and moonlit drizzles in Messiaen’s “La Colombe” and “Le Nombre Léger,” and a murmured sotto voce in Chopin’s Op.

From New York Times ● Mar. 20, 2024

“This is so tense,” she murmured into her mic.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

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

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2025

For many years, the broad convention has been that senior politicians who want to get near government keep their mouths diplomatically shut about the royals, aside from bland praise, or supportive quiet murmuring.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2025

After Sinner won Wimbledon, it wasn’t hard to find murmuring that the 24-year-old Italian might be making a separation, that his sudden mastery of the grass vaporized Alcaraz’s last edge.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2025

During the first run of “book tour” dates, there was some murmuring amongst U2 fans that this felt like they could possibly have been pilot excursions for Bono.

From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2025

She stroked it, murmuring, “I have not touched silk in many year.”

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata

Related Words

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