1
: a half-suppressed or muttered complaint : grumbling
murmurs of disapproval
2
a
: a low indistinct but often continuous sound
a murmur of voices
the murmur of the waves along the shore
b
: a soft or gentle utterance
the murmur of nannies cooing into baby carriages—
Nancy Gibbs
Nancy Gibbs3
: an atypical sound of the heart typically indicating a functional or structural abnormality
The physician detected a heart murmur in his patient.
murmured; murmuring; murmurs
: to say in a murmur
murmurer
noun
Examples of murmur in a Sentence
Noun
the murmur of the crowd
The suggestion brought murmurs of disapproval.
He spoke in a murmur.
They spoke to each other in murmurs.
the murmur of the waves along the shore
Verb
He murmured something about having to get home.
“Thank you,” she murmured as she left the room.
The breeze murmured in the pines.
Recent Examples on the Web
Tim Ellis, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
Diagnosed with a heart murmur at just 4 months old, along with being the runt of his litter, Bosley always fought hard and never gave up.
—Jordan Greene, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025
Nicholas Lalla, WIRED, 4 Mar. 2025
The timing of Adam Wharton’s introduction in Crystal Palace’s 2-1 defeat by Everton may have denied the Selhurst Park crowd that murmuring of excitement that would ordinarily greet his appearance, but his contribution in the second half more than made up for it.
—Matt Woosnam, The Athletic, 17 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for murmur
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Despite murmurs about the future of ODI cricket, India’s form during 2023 in the 50-over format was supreme with 27 wins out of 35.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
Diagnosed with a heart murmur at just 4 months old, along with being the runt of his litter, Bosley always fought hard and never gave up.
—Jordan Greene, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025
Verb
At the center, there were pleas for neighborhood investment, hope of revitalization, and murmurs about reparations.
—Nicholas Lalla, WIRED, 4 Mar. 2025
The timing of Adam Wharton’s introduction in Crystal Palace’s 2-1 defeat by Everton may have denied the Selhurst Park crowd that murmuring of excitement that would ordinarily greet his appearance, but his contribution in the second half more than made up for it.
—Matt Woosnam, The Athletic, 17 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for murmur
Cite this Entry
“Murmur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/murmur. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
murmur
2 of 2 verb1
: to make a murmur
the breeze murmured in the pines
2
: to say in a voice too low to be heard clearly
murmurer
noun
Medical Definition
murmur
noun
mur·mur
ˈmər-mər 
: an atypical sound of the heart typically indicating a functional or structural abnormality
called also heart murmur
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share