mumble
verb (used without object)
to speak in a low indistinct manner, almost to an unintelligible extent; mutter.
were mumbling
-
past progressiveof mumble.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
“It was an obscure word, ‘appertaining,’” Immerwahr writes, “as if the law’s writers were mumbling their way through the important bit.”
From New York Times ● Feb. 13, 2019
Such enthusiasm gratifies therapists, who five years ago were mumbling the answer when asked what they did for a living.
From Time Magazine Archive
Katz and I welcomed them with smiles and started to pitch in, then paused and put back the bowls when we realized the couple were mumbling grace.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
The black men and women were mumbling quietly among themselves; they had not known one another before they had come here, but now their timidity and shame were wearing off and they were exchanging experiences.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
Where a moment before was an unbroken translucent surface, were now thirteen strange beings who had appeared from the depths, and were mumbling oxygen with trembling lips.
From Edge of the Jungle by William Beebe
