1
as in whine
an expression of dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment
finished the tedious job without a murmur
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2
as in muttering
speech that is not clear enough to be understood
could just barely hear the murmurs of the audience
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1
as in to complain
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
no prisoner dared murmur out loud
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2
as in to mutter
to speak softly and unclearly
a college professor who tends to murmur
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of murmur
Doug Melville, Forbes, 1 Dec. 2024
There have also been some murmurs around whether former Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) could jump in on the Democrats’ side.
—Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 25 Nov. 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
Grant them the proper resources while addressing this commitment, putting to rest rumors and murmurs regarding their status.
—Doug Melville, Forbes, 1 Dec. 2024
There have also been some murmurs around whether former Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) could jump in on the Democrats’ side.
—Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 25 Nov. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for murmur
Noun
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When in use, the motor produced a slightly audible whistle/whine.John Timmer, Ars Technica, 4 Apr. 2024
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Fittingly, its most art-averse detractors responded with an awful lot of whine.Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Many residents at the town hall complained about feeling unsafe at their local Giant or Weis supermarkets, seeing panhandlers, loitering and graffiti in and around these areas.Racquel Bazos, Baltimore Sun, 16 Jan. 2025
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Some of the agency’s top Middle East diplomats complained in private that they were sidelined by Biden’s National Security Council.Brett Murphy, ProPublica, 15 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The soldiers muttered encouragement; their horses nickered.Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2025
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Philippe Myers knelt on the side of Canada’s busiest highway and muttered a few curse words about his luck.Joshua Kloke, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025
Noun
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At first, the school board reacted to the complaints by saying parents could have their children excused from the class when the new textbooks were being used or discussed.David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2025
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Attorneys for the owner said in a statement that the owner and the DOJ reached the agreement, which was reached immediately after the complaint was filed, to avoid prolonged litigation.Landon Mion, Fox News, 18 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Recent whispers from Washington suggest that tariffs are unlikely to be broad.Ganesh Rao, CNBC, 16 Jan. 2025
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Veteran journalist Kim Osorio appears in the doc and says that there were whispers that Porter was a victim of Combs’ abuse, and an attorney for a client who sued Combs says her client witnessed acts of violence against Porter.Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 13 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Are we meant to sympathize with this creature as people scream in terror and call it a monster and attack it and scream for it to be shot?Erik Kain, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
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Ahmad would scream in terror, afraid of something beyond his family’s perception.Alia Malek, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2025
Verb
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He was seen whispering with his attorney, Thomas Dickey, glancing at reporters and mumbling to himself at the Blair County Court hearing.Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 13 Dec. 2024
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When city officials mumble pieties and let lifesaving street designs get bogged down in endless studies.Justin Davidson, Curbed, 13 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The ultimate effect is paradoxical: the more that Valéry eliminates the ghost of pain and passion from the logical machinery of his work, the starker and more affecting the moans and cries of the ghost become.Benjamin Kunkel, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
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Against Notre Dame, the collective moan in the Coliseum with yet another last-minute loss because of Riley’s poor play calling was the breaking point for this lifelong Trojan.Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near murmur
Cite this Entry
“Murmur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/murmur. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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