1
: a half-suppressed or muttered complaint : grumbling
murmurs of disapproval
2
a
: a low indistinct but often continuous sound
a murmur of voices
the murmur of the waves along the shore
b
: a soft or gentle utterance
the murmur of nannies cooing into baby carriages—
Nancy Gibbs
Nancy Gibbs3
: an atypical sound of the heart typically indicating a functional or structural abnormality
The physician detected a heart murmur in his patient.
murmured; murmuring; murmurs
: to say in a murmur
murmurer
noun
Synonyms
Example Sentences
Noun
the murmur of the crowd
The suggestion brought murmurs of disapproval.
He spoke in a murmur.
They spoke to each other in murmurs.
the murmur of the waves along the shore
Verb
He murmured something about having to get home.
“Thank you,” she murmured as she left the room.
The breeze murmured in the pines.
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Recent Examples on the WebCarolyn Kellogg, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2023
Moskvitch offers riveting explanations of what astronomers have learned so far using radio telescopes, starting with Jocelyn Bell’s discovery in 1967 of the first pulsar, and what puzzles remain in the tantrums as well as quiet murmur of neutron stars.
—Priyamvada Natarajan, The New York Review of Books, 15 June 2021
The superb soundtrack deepens that push-pull, in the sibilant whoosh of ocean waves, the gentle percussion of rain against a city window, the incessant murmur of an airport terminal.
—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Apr. 2023
She murmur repeats — part bumbling professor, part conspiratorial best friend.
—Danielle Pergament, Allure, 9 Nov. 2022
As one walks into the art piece, the loud music from dance crews, the murmur of the crowd and the bright lights of the billboards seem to fade away.
—New York Times, 26 Oct. 2021
There are a lot of murmurs in the air that the next generation of language models are going to be really powerful.
—Aparna Dhinakaran, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2023
When Portland sliced the deficit to 13 with 2:24 left in the third, there were audible murmurs from the TD Garden crowd.
—Adam Himmelsbach, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Mar. 2023
Sometimes a person gets an echocardiogram to look for the cause of a heart murmur, or for some other reason, and they are found to have mild valve abnormalities, such as a leaking valve.
—Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 3 Mar. 2023
Neena Rouhani, Billboard, 9 May 2023
Ralph Martinez was once a man under a bridge, sleeping on the dirt, shooting heroin into a neck vein, listening to men with liquor bottles murmuring around barrel fires in the night.
—Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2023
After months of murmuring, the latest A-list ensemble project from The Big Short and Don’t Look Up filmmaker Adam McKay has hit Hollywood.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Mar. 2023
Leading the Lakers to a 117-112 victory, Davis dominated from the deafening start to the murmuring finish.
—Elvia Limón, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2023
Taken as a whole, the show is an extended conversation—conspiratorially murmuring, fruitfully clashing—across time and space.
—Johanna Fateman, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2023
The arena murmured with laughter, then a chorus of boos rang from an arena bathed in white.
—Zach Osterman, The Indianapolis Star, 22 Feb. 2023
In an uncomfortable scene captured on video by the debate audience, Hinds hoisted himself out of his wheelchair, pulled his legs up onto the stage and clung to a metal chair leg as the audience murmured and the debate’s organizers discussed how to accommodate him.
—Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2023
Advertisement Together, readers attune their ears to alternate rhythms murmuring through nature, from the eons of geologic history to the miniscule magic of moss spores sprouting.
—Gabriela Riccardi, Quartz, 22 Mar. 2023
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Noun
There was a bustle, the murmur of the crowd would reverberate off the walls.
—Carolyn Kellogg, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2023
Moskvitch offers riveting explanations of what astronomers have learned so far using radio telescopes, starting with Jocelyn Bell’s discovery in 1967 of the first pulsar, and what puzzles remain in the tantrums as well as quiet murmur of neutron stars.
—Priyamvada Natarajan, The New York Review of Books, 15 June 2021
The superb soundtrack deepens that push-pull, in the sibilant whoosh of ocean waves, the gentle percussion of rain against a city window, the incessant murmur of an airport terminal.
—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Apr. 2023
She murmur repeats — part bumbling professor, part conspiratorial best friend.
—Danielle Pergament, Allure, 9 Nov. 2022
As one walks into the art piece, the loud music from dance crews, the murmur of the crowd and the bright lights of the billboards seem to fade away.
—New York Times, 26 Oct. 2021
There are a lot of murmurs in the air that the next generation of language models are going to be really powerful.
—Aparna Dhinakaran, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2023
When Portland sliced the deficit to 13 with 2:24 left in the third, there were audible murmurs from the TD Garden crowd.
—Adam Himmelsbach, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Mar. 2023
Sometimes a person gets an echocardiogram to look for the cause of a heart murmur, or for some other reason, and they are found to have mild valve abnormalities, such as a leaking valve.
—Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 3 Mar. 2023
Verb
Related While fans have been murmuring about a potential battle between the Atlanta mainstay and Bad Boy CEO since 2020, the two legends joined the conversation in 2021, after Dupri challenged Diddy in a tweet.
—Neena Rouhani, Billboard, 9 May 2023
Ralph Martinez was once a man under a bridge, sleeping on the dirt, shooting heroin into a neck vein, listening to men with liquor bottles murmuring around barrel fires in the night.
—Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2023
After months of murmuring, the latest A-list ensemble project from The Big Short and Don’t Look Up filmmaker Adam McKay has hit Hollywood.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Mar. 2023
Leading the Lakers to a 117-112 victory, Davis dominated from the deafening start to the murmuring finish.
—Elvia Limón, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2023
Taken as a whole, the show is an extended conversation—conspiratorially murmuring, fruitfully clashing—across time and space.
—Johanna Fateman, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2023
The arena murmured with laughter, then a chorus of boos rang from an arena bathed in white.
—Zach Osterman, The Indianapolis Star, 22 Feb. 2023
In an uncomfortable scene captured on video by the debate audience, Hinds hoisted himself out of his wheelchair, pulled his legs up onto the stage and clung to a metal chair leg as the audience murmured and the debate’s organizers discussed how to accommodate him.
—Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2023
Advertisement Together, readers attune their ears to alternate rhythms murmuring through nature, from the eons of geologic history to the miniscule magic of moss spores sprouting.
—Gabriela Riccardi, Quartz, 22 Mar. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'murmur.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
Middle English murmure, from Anglo-French disturbance, from Latin murmur murmur, roar, of imitative origin
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of murmur was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing murmur
Dictionary Entries Near murmur
Cite this Entry
“Murmur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/murmur. Accessed 3 Jun. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
murmur
2 of 2 verb1
: to make a murmur
the breeze murmured in the pines
2
: to say in a voice too low to be heard clearly
murmurer
noun
Medical Definition
murmur
noun
mur·mur
ˈmər-mər 
: an atypical sound of the heart typically indicating a functional or structural abnormality
called also heart murmur
More from Merriam-Webster on murmur
Nglish: Translation of murmur for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of murmur for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about murmur
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