to demur
3
8.9
- verb
- /dɪˈmɜr/
- Formal
:
objetar
- Meanwhile, Clinton had repeatedly asked her to marry him, and she continued to demur.
And the person demurred a little bit and said, well, maybe.
- And the person demurred a little bit and said, well, maybe.
- I, I, I definitely was more, I demurred more back then than I did later on.
Examples
-
"No, sweetheart," Buster would demur, leaning to grant her a kiss behind each ear.
Fiction book (1995) -
When she claims not to be the sort of person whom men marry, he does not demur; when she says, "I do love you...
Academic text (2016) -
Rather, they came to demur to professional authorities whose sweep extended into the private and intimate world of the family.
Academic text (2014) -
Or suppose a child demands a release from sex education on First Amendment grounds, and school administrators demur.
Academic text (1997) -
"The signer should demur, or at least edit.
Blog text (6) -
But interestingly, Dame Irene demurred, recalling a lunch attended by an unusually quiet George Bernard Shaw.
-
When an interviewer characterizes her first novel, Housekeeping, as a modernist project, Robinson demurs: "I think, though, it's modernist in the sense that Dickinson is so often a modernist."
Academic text (2018) -
The lawyer had to demur to the opposing counsel's claims during the trial, citing lack of sufficient evidence.
-
At the meeting, she decided to demur when asked to support the controversial proposal because it conflicted with her values.
-
He respectfully demurred at the suggestion to cut funding for the arts program, explaining its importance to the community.
Synonyms
272
3.4
To say no politely to an offer or invitation
1
8.5
To speak strongly to show you disagree
To show you are unsure or do not agree about something
Antonyms
Phrasal Verbs
How Reluctant
Surface Forms
Etymology
Demur comes from the old Latin word demorari, made from de- and morari, which meant 'to delay' or 'stay back'. So to demur is to 'hold back' your agreement — to hesitate or object.