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🤫 A soft sound 🤫 To speak softly ❤️ Abnormal heartbeat sound
to murmur

to murmur

11 4.2
To speak in a low, quiet voice, often to complain or say something softly
  • verb
  • /ˈmɜrmər/
translation icon : murmurar
  • REM shows beneath her eyelids, and she murmurs in her sleep.

My gamma, she murmurs into my skirt.

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Examples

  • Che sera sera, she would constantly murmur, what will be will be.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • "Accuse me," Lydia murmurs back, gripping the handle of her cart with both hands.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • The other two ask to have a look, murmur their approval, then they all resume their work.

    Academic text (2014)

  • "And I hold his bottom more tightly and murmur, "I want to stay with you."

    Fiction book (1994)

  • We have been looking at a book together while the family murmurs in conversation around us.

    Academic text (1990)

  • "We've heard such good things about you," she murmurs with a smile.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • The illusionist spread his arms and began to murmur an incantation.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • After a long beat, silence except for the TV, Marge murmurs, still looking at the set: MARGE ...

    Fiction book (1996)

  • "Ay, it even hurts to laugh," Star murmurs sympathetically, as if singing an old song lyric.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • In the quiet library, she leaned over to her friend and murmured that she had finished the book last night.

Synonyms

to mutter
vsto murmur
140 3.7

To speak quietly so others cannot hear, often to complain

is a soft low indistinct voice sometimes used to complain
to mumble
vsto murmur
103 4.9

To speak in a low, unclear voice that is hard to understand

is softer and can express quiet complaint rather than only unclear speech
to grumble
vsto murmur
41 3.7

To complain quietly in a low voice

is general soft indistinct speech that may but does not always complain
to mussitate
vsto murmur
  • Archaic
9.9

To speak quietly and unclearly so others cannot understand

is the same indistinct low speech but sometimes expresses complaint
to mump
vsto murmur
  • Archaic
9.9

To mutter complaints quietly so others cannot hear

is low soft speech sometimes used to complain quietly
whispered
vsto murmur
2.9

Said very quietly in a soft voice

is low and indistinct in sound and sometimes expresses complaint

Antonyms

to shout
644 1.0

To speak very loudly to get attention or show strong feeling

to speak clearly
7 1.0

Say words so other people can easily understand you

Compounds

heart murmur
  • Specialized
5 3.9

An unusual sound during a heartbeat that may show a problem with the valves in the heart

systolic murmur
  • Specialized
1 7.0

A soft sound the heart makes when it squeezes

cardiac murmur
  • Specialized
4.9

An unusual sound during a heartbeat that may show a problem with heart valves or blood flow

murmur vowel
  • Specialized
9.9

A very weak vowel sound you hear after some consonants in weak syllables

How Loud

to shout
644 1.0
to mutter
140 3.7
to murmur
11 4.2
to whisper
586 1.0

Surface Forms

murmur infinitive
murmured past
murmured past participle
murmuring present participle
murmuers third person singular

Etymology

Murmur comes from the same old Latin murmur that copies a quiet sound, so to murmur is to speak in a soft, low voice, often to say something quietly or to complain.