How to Use demur in a Sentence

demur

1 of 2 verb
  • She suggested that he would win easily, but he demurred, saying he expected the election to be close.
  • The issue came to a head near the end of the year, when Trump pushed the case and Tillerson demurred.
    Brian Bennett, Time, 14 June 2018
  • The boy shyly demurred but couldn’t keep his eyes off the plane.
    Christine Schmidt, Courant Community, 14 Sep. 2017
  • She was asked early on to do a nude scene but demurred.
    Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Apr. 2023
  • When asked how this shapes her efforts as a chef, Scott demurred.
    Marella Gayla, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Aug. 2019
  • The audience gave a wild ovation, but the band demurred.
    Evan Minsker, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2023
  • The Kingsmen, for their part, were smart enough to demur when asked if their lyrics matched the record company’s.
    Douglas Perry, OregonLive.com, 8 Feb. 2018
  • Tran has been approached in the past to run for Oakland City Council but demurred.
    Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 May 2023
  • Of those who demurred, most said that the meeting did not change their position on Menendez or the charges.
    Emily Jacobs, Washington Examiner, 28 Sep. 2023
  • Mills demurs—a source tells MC the royal press pack was furious.
    K.j. Yossman, Marie Claire, 5 Sep. 2019
  • When the Pierces ask just who that successor would be, Logan demurs.
    Rey Mashayekhi, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2019
  • Williams demurred because he hadn’t hit for so long, and then let himself get talked into it.
    Rich Lowry, National Review, 21 Oct. 2019
  • But when asked if the tax cuts should be repealed, Donnelly demurred.
    Maureen Groppe, Indianapolis Star, 9 May 2018
  • For now, most of the possible contenders are demurring when asked about their plans for 2020.
    The Washington Post, The Mercury News, 6 June 2017
  • Asked to offer any theories about what caused the plane’s door plug to blow off, Homendy demurred.
    Jeremy Childs, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2024
  • Asked for comment about that at the Capitol on Wednesday, Sen. Paxton demurred — and smiled.
    Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2023
  • The judge demurred as some in the courtroom laughed uncomfortably.
    Steve Friess, Anchorage Daily News, 2 Feb. 2018
  • Comey, according to the memo first reported by the New York Times, demurred, and the probe continued.
    Chris Strohm, Bloomberg.com, 7 June 2017
  • In years past, Nixon said, she’d been asked to consider filling this role and had always demurred.
    Jessica Pressler, Daily Intelligencer, 15 Apr. 2018
  • Joe Gow and Carmen Wilson demurred, not wanting to share their secret plans with a stranger.
    Kelly Meyerhofer, USA TODAY, 13 Jan. 2024
  • The League invited the staff to its weekly orgies, but by his account Mr. Goines and most of his colleagues demurred.
    Penelope Green, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2023
  • Though Will initially demurs, the next scene features Rogen as Will stomping his foot with a hand to his hip and a finger in the air.
    Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 6 June 2023
  • When asked about his response to Warren’s lead among those voters, Sanders demurred.
    Ben Kamisar, NBC News, 14 July 2019
  • But when asked who is at fault for the current situation, Abele demurred.
    Molly Beck, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2020
  • When asked if testing would occur in these locations, Brown, the HUD spokesman, demurred.
    oregonlive, 5 Dec. 2019
  • Kerr and Popovich have both demurred about making an actual run.
    Reeves Wiedeman, Daily Intelligencer, 13 Apr. 2018
  • When asked if middle-class taxes will go up to pay for Medicare for all, Warren demurred.
    Grace Segers, CBS News, 13 Sep. 2019
  • Other people can do that for us, but even then our response to it must be to graciously demur.
    Washington Post, 25 Apr. 2022
  • When pushed for details about how the industry changed or if the delay is due to cost, Söderström largely demurred.
    Jay Peters, The Verge, 14 Mar. 2023
  • That is likely why China had demurred when Kissinger urged progress on smaller issues such as trade to signal progress on at least a few items.
    Robert Hormats, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2024
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demur

2 of 2 noun
  • In the final shot, Murray gives the camera a close-lipped grin that would make the Joker and the Cheshire Cat demur.
    Sarah Spellings, Vogue, 20 Jan. 2022
  • When someone asks Mihalko if Chevy thinks of the new Blazer as the Camaro of crossovers, the humble engineer demurs.
    Andrew Moseman, Popular Mechanics, 4 Feb. 2019
  • That would be Sinead Flanagan, a 27-year-old junior doctor, with dark hair and a demur, effervescent smile.
    David Segal, New York Times, 27 Sep. 2019
  • To demur when called upon to defend that home from conquest is to willingly turn oneself into an exile.
    Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 8 Mar. 2022
  • Asked to reveal a favorite garden moment, Anderson prefers to demur.
    Clint Clemens, Town & Country, 30 Apr. 2021
  • In the final shot, Murray gives the camera a close-lipped grin that would make the Joker and the Cheshire Cat demur.
    Sarah Spellings, Vogue, 20 Jan. 2022
  • When someone asks Mihalko if Chevy thinks of the new Blazer as the Camaro of crossovers, the humble engineer demurs.
    Andrew Moseman, Popular Mechanics, 4 Feb. 2019
  • That would be Sinead Flanagan, a 27-year-old junior doctor, with dark hair and a demur, effervescent smile.
    David Segal, New York Times, 27 Sep. 2019
  • To demur when called upon to defend that home from conquest is to willingly turn oneself into an exile.
    Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 8 Mar. 2022
  • Asked to reveal a favorite garden moment, Anderson prefers to demur.
    Clint Clemens, Town & Country, 30 Apr. 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'demur.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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