murmur1 verbmurmur2 noun
murmurmur‧mur1 /ˈmɜːmə $ ˈmɜːrmər/ ●○○ verb 
1[intransitive, transitive] to say something in a soft quiet voice that is difficult to hear clearly: 
‘Well done,’ murmured George. The girl murmured something polite, and smiled. Julie turned over and murmured in her sleep.► see thesaurus at say2[intransitive] to make a soft low sound: The wind murmured through the trees.3[intransitive + against] literary especially British English to complain to friends and people you work with, but not officially—murmuring noun [countable, uncountable]: murmurings of discontentmurmur1 verbmurmur2 noun
murmurmurmur2 noun [countable] WORD ORIGINmurmur2
Origin:
1300-1400 French murmure, from Latin murmurEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- a heart murmur
- Jan had the radio on in the room above, but it was no more than a murmur.
- The murmur of distant traffic reached us when the wind was in the east.
- the murmur of the little brook
- There were excited murmurs as the President entered the hall.
- Wagner spoke in a barely audible murmur.
- A murmur of laughter ran through the congregation.
- A dark murmur rose among the diners.
- Audible gasps rose here and there together with short, whispered words and the murmur of anticipation.
- From the library there was a broken murmur of voices, subdued and spasmodic as a funeral gathering.
- His throaty little murmurs told of his contentment and enjoyment of the ride.
- Sandy has hold of my lapel in the lightest way, instructing me in a murmur.
- Sympathetic murmurs greet this delicate reference to her own spinsterhood, and the hunters then move in for the kill.
- There wasn't a murmur of disapproval from the drug testers - all the ingredients were natural and contained no chemical stimulants.
THESAURUSa quiet sound
a quiet low continuous sound, especially from electrical equipment, traffic, an engine, or people’s conversation: · The only sound was the faint hum of the air-conditioning unit.· He could hear the hum of distant traffic.
a continuous quiet sound from papers, leaves, or clothes when they rub together: · She heard the rustle of dried leaves behind her.· the rustle of silk dresses
a quiet low continuous sound, especially from people’s voices that are far away: · The murmur of voices died away.· They spoke in a low murmur.
a series of long low sounds, especially from big guns, traffic, or thunder: · I heard a rumble of thunder.· the low rumble of a train approaching
Longman Language Activatorquiet gentle sounds the continuous, low, quiet sound of something that is a fairly long way away or that is continuously there as well as other noises: · Jan had the radio on in the room above, but it was no more than a murmur.the murmur of something: · The murmur of distant traffic reached us when the wind was in the east.
if things such as papers, leaves, or clothes rustle , they make a continuous quiet sound as they rub against each other: · Leaves rustled in the summer breeze.· The tissue paper rustled in the silence as she unwrapped the gift.
the smooth quiet sound produced when something such as a skirt or curtains moves quickly through the air: · The magnificent red stage curtains opened with a swish.the swish of something: · Just then there was the swish of wings right above my head.
WORD SETSablaze, adjectiveacoustic, adjectiveacoustics, nounaglow, adjectivebaa, verbbabble, verbbabble, nounbabel, nounbaby talk, nounbackfire, verbbackground, nounbang, nounbang, verbbang, interjectionbark, verbbark, nounbattle cry, nounbay, verbbeat, verbbeat, nounbellow, verbbellow, nounblare, verbblast, nounbleat, verbbleep, nounbleep, verbblip, nounbong, nounboom, nounboom, verbbowwow, interjectionbrassy, adjectivebray, verbbrazen, adjectivebreathy, adjectivebubble, verbbump, nounchatter, verbchatter, nounclink, verbclink, nouncrack, verbcrack, nouncrackle, verbcrackling, nouncrash, verbcrash, nouncreak, verbcreaky, adjectivecroak, verbcroak, nouncrow, nouncrow, verbcrunch, nouncrunch, verbding-dong, noundiscord, noundiscordant, adjectivedrone, verbdrone, noundrown, verbdrum, verbdrumbeat, noundrumming, noundull, adjectiveecho, verbecho, nounfizz, verbflat, adjectivefootfall, nounfootstep, nounfusillade, noungrinding, adjectivegroan, verbgroan, noungrunt, verbgrunt, nounguffaw, verbgunshot, nounguttural, adjectivehigh, adjectivehigh, adverbhiss, verbindistinct, adjectiveirregular, adjectivelow, verbmarbled, adjectivematching, adjectivemellow, adjectivemelodic, adjectivemelodious, adjectivemetallic, adjectivemoan, verbmoan, nounmodulate, verbmonotone, nounmoo, verbmurmur, verbmurmur, nounmusical, adjectivemusically, adverbmute, verbnasal, adjectivenoise, nounoink, interjectionoof, interjectionpatter, verbpatter, nounpeal, nounpeal, verbpenetrating, adjectivepercussion, nounpsychedelic, adjectivepulse, nounputter, verbquack, verbquack, nounquaver, nounracket, nounrasp, verbrasp, nounraspberry, nounrat-a-tat, nounrattle, nounraucous, adjectivereedy, adjectivereport, nounresonance, nounresonant, adjectiveresonate, verbresonator, nounresound, verbresounding, adjectivereverberate, verbreverberation, nounrich, adjectivering, nounring, verbringing, adjectiveripple, verbripple, nounroar, nounroaring, adjectiveroll, verbrough, adjectiverustle, verbrustle, nounscratch, verbscratch, nounscream, verbscream, nounscrunch, verbsmoky, adjectivesnarl, verbsoft, adjectivesoft-spoken, adjectivesonorous, adjectivesotto voce, adverbsplosh, verbsweet, adjectiveswoosh, verbtick-tock, nountinny, adjectivetonal, adjectivevivid, adjectivevowel, nounwail, verbweak, adjectivewhack, nounwham, interjectionwhine, verbwhinny, verbwhirr, verbwhistle, verbwhistle, nounyelp, nounyowl, verbzoom, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
(=one that expresses a particular feeling) There was a murmur of agreement from the crowd.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES There was a murmur of agreement from the crowd.· There were murmurs of approval from the crowd.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE· She paused, hearing the low murmur of male voices, from the doorway just ahead of her.· It's not some brash statement of their own personalities, but a low murmur from many people over many years.· Springfield held up his hand for silence and the low murmur of talk died away completely.· She stirred and snuggled towards him, a low murmur of peace escaping from slightly parted lips.· All she could hear, however, was a low murmur.
· She thought she heard the telephone being used, and the soft murmur of Julius's voice.· And the soft murmur of the sea.· Under cover of the noise Guy's voice was a soft murmur in Isabel's ear.· There was a soft murmur to her voice, as a hush through the trees on Mount Olives.
NOUN· In some cases, a physical might expose a heart murmur.
VERB· She paused, hearing the low murmur of male voices, from the doorway just ahead of her.· Through the clatter of dish-washing we could hear their murmurs like voices at a wake.· I sat for a considerable time, hearing the distant murmur of their voices, probably from a bedroom.· She didn't hear the murmur until she was standing right outside the door to Luke's private apartment.· Do I hear a murmur about needles and haystacks?· No sign of Ward, but I could hear the murmur of voices from the direction of the stable block.· She could hear the dull murmur of their voices outside, then nothing.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
1a soft low sound made by people speaking quietly or a long way awaymurmur of- And although we might challenge their right to run our lives we often let them run our language without a murmur.
- Of the Tuscan towns, Amelia and Otricoli were the only ones to accept papal domination without a murmur.
- One slip, and it would sweep you away without a murmur or a cry.
- She left without a murmur although she had only a year and a half to go to complete her secondary education.
- She took the punishments meted out to her without a murmur.
- The door was ajar and opened without a murmur.
the murmur of voices in the other room She replied in a low murmur.murmur of agreement/surprise/regret etc (=one that expresses a particular feeling) There was a murmur of agreement from the crowd.► see thesaurus at sound2a complaint, but not a strong or official complaintmurmur of There have been murmurs of discontent over the new rules.3do something without a murmur to do something without complaining, especially when this is surprising: They signed the form without a murmur.4the soft low sound made by water, the wind etc: the murmur of the little brook5 heart murmur an unusual sound made by the heart, which shows that there may be something wrong with it