Murmur Meaning
/ˈmɜːmə/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounAny low, indistinct sound, like that of running water.
nounSoft indistinct speech.
Sentence Examples
There was a murmur when she entered the room.
The murmur of the brook lulls me to sleep.
CEFR Practice Quiz
In the quiet library, the only sound was the soft ____ of the wind outside.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
I could hear the soft ____ of several people talking in the next room, but I couldn't understand any of their private and quiet conversation.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English murmur, murmor, murmour, from Old French murmure (modern French murmure), from Latin murmur (“murmur, humming, muttering, roaring, growling, rushing etc.”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The delightful murmur of water running over pebbles is heard a few yards off"
— 1854, Narrative of a Journey Round the Dead Sea, and in the Bible Lands:
"She howl'd aloud, “I am on fire within. / There comes no murmur of reply. / What is it that will take away my sin, / And save me lest I die?”"
— 1842, Alfred Tennyson, “The Palace of Art”, in Poems. […], volume I, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 154:
"In the prison of the 'tween decks reigned a darkness pregnant with murmurs. The sentry at the entrance to the hatchway was supposed to "prevent the prisoners from making a noise," but he put a very liberal interpretation upon the clause, and so long as the prisoners refrained from shouting, yelling, and fighting--eccentricities in which they sometimes indulged--he did not disturb them."
— 1874, Marcus Clarke, chapter V, in For the Term of His Natural Life:
"The moment had come for the honeyed word. I lowered my voice to a confidential murmur, but on her inquiring if I had laryngitis raised it again."
— 1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XI, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC:
"[President Trump's firing of a dozen inspectors general] seems to have violated a law requiring that he provide 30 days’ notice, and set off a rare murmur of dissent from Capitol Hill Republicans."
— 2025 January 30, Cameron Joseph, “Trump goes to war with the federal workforce”, in The Christian Science Monitor:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
In the quiet library, the only sound was the soft ____ of the wind outside.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
I could hear the soft ____ of several people talking in the next room, but I couldn't understand any of their private and quiet conversation.