murmurs 1 of 2

noun

plural of murmur
1
as in whines
an expression of dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment finished the tedious job without a murmur

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in whispers
speech that is not clear enough to be understood could just barely hear the murmurs of the audience

Synonyms & Similar Words

murmurs

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of murmur
1
as in complains
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely no prisoner dared murmur out loud

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mutters
to speak softly and unclearly a college professor who tends to murmur

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of murmurs
Noun
For weeks, there have been murmurs in DC about a coming White House move to address the inevitability of powerful, open-source Chinese AI models being used by people and businesses across the globe. — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 15 July 2026 Happy murmurs moved through the room whenever the Tour passed a place someone recognised, turning the stage into a shared travelogue. — Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 15 July 2026 Despite murmurs of sessions for a new album, which began circulating in 2022, there’s no official news as of yet about a seventh Sade album. — Al Shipley, SPIN, 30 June 2026 The stadium, packed to the brim with more than 82,000 fans, reverberated with stunned murmurs as Morocco’s Ismael Saibari snuck behind a distracted Brazil defense and chipped home a beautiful goal over goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s head to open the scoring in the 22nd minute. — Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 14 June 2026 That absence has allowed for murmurs of doubt to seep in and create a space for a new enclave of rap fans to dismiss his music as generationally specific despite his very real track record and influence over pop culture. — Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 31 May 2026 Minnesota has been heavily linked to the Greek forward dating back to the trade deadline, and those murmurs don’t figure to subside in the next month-plus. — Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 26 May 2026 The room filled with soft murmurs. — Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 30 Apr. 2026 But murmurs of laughter broke out a few times when justices noted constitutional tensions in the case. — Michael Collins, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
Verb
Yoon murmurs something into her ear. — Literary Hub, 11 June 2026 There are also murmurs about the US government wanting a stake in the company. — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 11 June 2026 The remark drew a mix of gasps, murmurs and laughs from others in the room. — Emily Chang, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026 Located at the foot of Petit Piton, guests are transported to a slice of tranquility, where the sound of a running stream murmurs in the background. — Nneka M. Okona, Travel + Leisure, 15 Feb. 2026 Tess murmurs, having had no idea that Alex, who works in finance, has started moonlighting in standup. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2025 In between each narrative episode, like an intertitle in a silent film, Guanyin, the goddess of Mercy (the exquisite soprano Mei Gui Zhang), murmurs Buddhist verses from her floating lotus. — Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Nov. 2025 An aide for former first daughter Chelsea Clinton shut down murmurs about her entering the race. — Kyler Alvord, PEOPLE, 12 Nov. 2025 But even amid the general euphoria, there recently have been murmurs about whether AI mania will prove to be an echo of the late 1990s dot-com boom and meltdown that plunged Silicon Valley into a funk that lasted several years. — Staff, Austin American Statesman, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for murmurs
  1. moans
  2. whispers
  3. complains
  4. mutters
  5. complaints
  6. grunts
  7. screams
  8. mumbles
Noun
  • In the decades after his death, Johnson’s loose playing and harrowing moans set American music on a path that would encompass Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, even Nas.
    — Steven Johnson, Washington Post, 14 July 2026
  • Sweet tweets, soft moans, the distant caw of a shore bird piloting toward the sea, spirited and hopeful, daylight already breaking through.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026
Definition of moans
Noun
  • There were anxious whispers behind the scenes ahead of the Bake Club July recipe reveal.
    — Emily Elias, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Rhaenyra also makes the drastic decision of relieving Mysaria of her duties as master of whispers and banishing her from King’s Landing.
    — Justin Kroll, Deadline, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of whispers
Verb
  • Shannon basically complains so much that Jenn, a sweet baby angel straight from a Hallmark Christmas movie, offers to change rooms with her.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The private sector complains that there are jobs but that Indians aren’t skilled enough to be hired.
    — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of complains
Verb
  • Wilde read on social media that the tune actually inspired a movie theater meet-cute, as Nash mutters profanity mid-song.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 11 July 2026
  • Your dad mutters for head movement, for cage cutting, for not playing off the back and creating distance.
    — Matthew Shen Goodman, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Definition of mutters
Noun
  • The city says there was a large increase in complaints in May, likely due to the end of the school year.
    — Ashley Portillo, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • By doing it this way, the kids had to put some thought into which items meant the most to them, and there were no complaints afterward.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of complaints
Noun
  • On the southern end of the loop, check out the interactive Bison Center to feel hides, hear the creatures’ varied grunts and bleats, and learn about the park’s efforts to sustainably maintain the herd.
    — Jess Hoffert, Midwest Living, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Most fights consist of dealing with waves of basic grunts with the occasional bruiser or shooter thrown in to keep you on edge.
    — Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 26 May 2026
Definition of grunts
Verb
  • The audience screams in response, and Scovel scolds them again but this time with a smile.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Witness accounts describe chaotic scene In the video, as many as five officers can be seen, and shrieks, screams, and cries are heard.
    — Marvin Hurst, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of screams
Verb
  • Both look over at me and then Lumet mumbles something and the conversation abruptly ends.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2026
  • Meanwhile, everyone is still running around like the Keystone Kops chasing Billie, passing an old lady in a bed eating Jell-O who mumbles something in Diné.
    — Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Feb. 2026
Definition of mumbles

Browse Nearby Words

murmurous
murmurs
Murphy bed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Murmurs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/murmurs. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on murmurs

Nglish: Translation of murmurs for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of divulge

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All