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Back in the days of Middle English, the Anglo-French noun bruit, meaning "clamor" or "noise," rattled into English. Soon English speakers were also using it to mean "report" or "rumor" (it was applied especially to favorable reports). They also began using bruit the way the verb noise was used (and still occasionally is) with the meaning "to spread by rumor or report" (as in "The scandal was quickly noised about"). The English noun bruit is now considered archaic, apart from a medical sense that is pronounced like the French word and refers to one of the abnormal sounds heard on auscultation.
Examples of bruit in a Sentence
Lisa Sanders,
New York Times,
13 June 2018
David Doty,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2026
Almost no problems get solved in the country but many are loudly bruited while basics like the economy get neglected.
—
Melik Kaylan,
Forbes,
30 Oct. 2024
The main downside to the bill identified by the legislative analysts and bruited about by the drug industry is that lower profits would lead to a reduction in R&D spending.
—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Oct. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Bruit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bruit. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bruit
1 of 2 nounbruit
2 of 2 verbMedical Definition
bruit
noun
