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
Examples of murmur in a Sentence
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.
Recent Examples on the WebMark Schapiro, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Oct. 2024
That decision, as well as murmurs of a potential Cam Fowler trade, the continued presence of two professional tryouts in camp and whether the Ducks carry 13 or 14 forwards are all moving parts that obfuscate exactly what the opening-night roster might look like.
—Andrew Knoll, Orange County Register, 1 Oct. 2024
Kelefa Sanneh, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024
My Method Actor scatters luminous beads of sound design into a writhing body of hooks and vocal lines—sometimes murmured, others chanted, all interspersed with that trademark Yanya flourish that sounds like a sigh rising to a yelp.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 13 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for murmur 
Noun
The vaulted ceiling, the spiritual imagery, the murmurs and footfalls of other museumgoers give the scene a sacred feeling.
—Mark Schapiro, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Oct. 2024
That decision, as well as murmurs of a potential Cam Fowler trade, the continued presence of two professional tryouts in camp and whether the Ducks carry 13 or 14 forwards are all moving parts that obfuscate exactly what the opening-night roster might look like.
—Andrew Knoll, Orange County Register, 1 Oct. 2024
Verb
Baraka took the stage, in a pink shirt and white sneakers, and delivered an address that kept the room murmuring and chuckling for more than an hour.
—Kelefa Sanneh, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024
My Method Actor scatters luminous beads of sound design into a writhing body of hooks and vocal lines—sometimes murmured, others chanted, all interspersed with that trademark Yanya flourish that sounds like a sigh rising to a yelp.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 13 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for murmur
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.
Dictionary Entries Near murmur
Cite this Entry
“Murmur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/murmur. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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