murmur
Americannoun
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a low, continuous sound, as of a brook, the wind, or trees, or of low, indistinct voices.
- Synonyms:
- mumble, susurration, grumble, mutter, complaint
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a mumbled or private expression of discontent.
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Also called heart murmur. Medicine/Medical.
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an abnormal sound heard on listening to the heart, usually through a stethoscope, produced by the blood passing through deformed cardiac valves.
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in some persons a similar sound heard when blood passes through normal valves.
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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.
verb (used without object)
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to make a low or indistinct sound, especially continuously.
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to speak in a low tone or indistinctly.
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to complain in a low tone or in private.
- Synonyms:
- grouse
verb (used with object)
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to sound by murmurs.
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to utter in a low tone.
He murmured a threat as he left the room.
noun
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a continuous low indistinct sound, as of distant voices
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an indistinct utterance
a murmur of satisfaction
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a complaint; grumble
he made no murmur at my suggestion
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med any abnormal soft blowing sound heard within the body, usually over the chest See also heart murmur
verb
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to utter (something) in a murmur
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(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.
Related Words
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
- murmurer noun
- murmuring noun
- murmuringly adverb
- murmurless adjective
- murmurlessly adverb
- murmurous adjective
- unmurmured adjective
- unmurmuring adjective
- unmurmuringly adverb
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
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.
Yet they swallowed it with hardly a murmur.
From Salon • Feb. 7, 2026
It’s richer, more confident, the kind of topping that makes you stop mid-bite and murmur, half to yourself, why is this so good?
From Salon • Oct. 23, 2025
My son and my husband each murmur happy greetings in response, assuming I was talking to them—and Thomas, ever the diplomat, says nothing to correct the record.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 11, 2025
If it weren’t for Yelena’s meddling, she’d let the dream of a life with Ástrov pass her by without a murmur.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2025
Mia ran down to the side door, and Pearl heard a murmur of voices and crying, and then her mother came into the kitchen followed by a young Chinese woman, who was sobbing.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
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.
