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: 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 WebCecilia Lei, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Mar. 2023
There have been murmurs for months over what Kvamme would do next.
—Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 22 Feb. 2023
At least there was a murmur of baseball activity.
—Paul Hoynes, cleveland, 8 Jan. 2022
Palaina attenboroughi, the second snail to be named after David Attenborough in 2017, was a murmur that never became a shout.
—Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 24 Feb. 2018
To try to sleep, he’s pulled the hood on his sweatshirt tight around his face, hoping to block out the fluorescent lights of the hallway and murmur of nurses and patients next to him.
—Kate Wells, Detroit Free Press, 13 Oct. 2021
As the announcer at the Stade Océane cycled through Brazil’s team on Friday, before the squad dismantled Ghana, 3-0, a murmur of appreciation greeted each familiar, stellar name.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 27 Sep. 2022
Diagnostically speaking, Mary’s murmur was a slam-dunk.
—Tony Dajer, Discover Magazine, 18 June 2022
Even the most prosaic of ailments, from a red rash to a heart murmur, can still reveal surprises to the practicing clinician, and there is truly no greater surprise than a syphilis infection.
—Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 1 Apr. 2016
Gabriela Riccardi, Quartz, 22 Mar. 2023
At this moment in his speech, Travolta appeared to tear up as the audience murmured supportively.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 12 Mar. 2023
Ralph hovered close to my shoulder and murmured their backstories into my ear: that’s the man from Sotheby’s; that’s the former curator of London’s Natural History Museum; that’s one of the biggest collectors in China.
—Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2023
Racing analysts are starting to murmur about it.
—Dana Hunsinger Benbow, The Indianapolis Star, 19 May 2022
The other would murmur along in harmony, a fraction of a beat behind, testing resonance and mouthfeel.
—Carlo Rotella, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2023
The crowd began to murmur with speculation about who would appear.
—Connor Ratliff, SPIN, 14 Feb. 2023
On Christopher and Justin Swader’s long horizontal set – an open trench that somehow smells of moist earth — director Kristjan Thor has actors amble around and murmur about abandonment.
—Helen Shaw, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2022
Low estimates murmur of six hundred million dollars.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2022
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Noun
The music is off, and the room is a low murmur of Cantonese, Mandarin and English.
—Cecilia Lei, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Mar. 2023
There have been murmurs for months over what Kvamme would do next.
—Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 22 Feb. 2023
At least there was a murmur of baseball activity.
—Paul Hoynes, cleveland, 8 Jan. 2022
Palaina attenboroughi, the second snail to be named after David Attenborough in 2017, was a murmur that never became a shout.
—Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 24 Feb. 2018
To try to sleep, he’s pulled the hood on his sweatshirt tight around his face, hoping to block out the fluorescent lights of the hallway and murmur of nurses and patients next to him.
—Kate Wells, Detroit Free Press, 13 Oct. 2021
As the announcer at the Stade Océane cycled through Brazil’s team on Friday, before the squad dismantled Ghana, 3-0, a murmur of appreciation greeted each familiar, stellar name.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 27 Sep. 2022
Diagnostically speaking, Mary’s murmur was a slam-dunk.
—Tony Dajer, Discover Magazine, 18 June 2022
Even the most prosaic of ailments, from a red rash to a heart murmur, can still reveal surprises to the practicing clinician, and there is truly no greater surprise than a syphilis infection.
—Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 1 Apr. 2016
Verb
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
At this moment in his speech, Travolta appeared to tear up as the audience murmured supportively.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 12 Mar. 2023
Ralph hovered close to my shoulder and murmured their backstories into my ear: that’s the man from Sotheby’s; that’s the former curator of London’s Natural History Museum; that’s one of the biggest collectors in China.
—Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2023
Racing analysts are starting to murmur about it.
—Dana Hunsinger Benbow, The Indianapolis Star, 19 May 2022
The other would murmur along in harmony, a fraction of a beat behind, testing resonance and mouthfeel.
—Carlo Rotella, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2023
The crowd began to murmur with speculation about who would appear.
—Connor Ratliff, SPIN, 14 Feb. 2023
On Christopher and Justin Swader’s long horizontal set – an open trench that somehow smells of moist earth — director Kristjan Thor has actors amble around and murmur about abandonment.
—Helen Shaw, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2022
Low estimates murmur of six hundred million dollars.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2022
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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 9 Apr. 2023.
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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