noun
murmur
MUR-muh
noun
1
A soft, low, indistinct sound.
"A murmur of conversation drifted from the next room."
"She could hear the murmur of the river outside her window."
2
An unusual sound made by blood flowing through the heart, sometimes signaling a heart condition.
"The doctor detected a faint heart murmur during the checkup."
verb
1
To speak in a low, quiet, and hard-to-make-out voice.
"He murmured an apology and left the room."
"The crowd murmured in disapproval."
How to Use Murmur
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA soft, unclear sound, or the act of speaking that way.
Common pairings
a murmur of voices
murmur softly
heart murmur
Word Forms
murmured past tense, murmurs plural, murmurs singular
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “murmur”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
A _____ of conversation drifted from the next room.
Etymology
From Old French murmure, from Latin murmur, an imitative word for a low humming or rumbling sound.