How to Use demur in a Sentence

demur

verb
  • She suggested that he would win easily, but he demurred, saying he expected the election to be close.
  • The boy shyly demurred but couldn’t keep his eyes off the plane.
    — Christine Schmidt, Courant Community, 14 Sep. 2017
  • When asked how this shapes her efforts as a chef, Scott demurred.
    — Marella Gayla, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Aug. 2019
  • Angela demurs, saying the dish is a little heavy.
    — Uwa Ede-Osifo, Dallas Morning News, 21 Jan. 2026
  • His companion demurs, as any proper young woman of any race would do.
    — Brian T. Allen, National Review, 25 Jan. 2020
  • Most offered a few words of advice for Mamdani, though one demurred.
    — Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 18 Nov. 2025
  • But when asked if the tax cuts should be repealed, Donnelly demurred.
    — Maureen Groppe, Indianapolis Star, 9 May 2018
  • Kerr and Popovich have both demurred about making an actual run.
    — Reeves Wiedeman, Daily Intelligencer, 13 Apr. 2018
  • When asked about advice for young Asian actors, Youn demurred.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Dec. 2025
  • Other people can do that for us, but even then our response to it must be to graciously demur.
    — Washington Post, 25 Apr. 2022
  • Cohen briefly demurred, before going in on Adams again.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 1 Jan. 2026
  • The judge demurred as some in the courtroom laughed uncomfortably.
    — Steve Friess, Anchorage Daily News, 2 Feb. 2018
  • The Kingsmen, for their part, were smart enough to demur when asked if their lyrics matched the record company’s.
    — Douglas Perry, OregonLive.com, 8 Feb. 2018
  • Mills demurs—a source tells MC the royal press pack was furious.
    — K.j. Yossman, Marie Claire, 5 Sep. 2019
  • But when asked who is at fault for the current situation, Abele demurred.
    — Molly Beck, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2020
  • When the Pierces ask just who that successor would be, Logan demurs.
    — Rey Mashayekhi, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2019
  • Asked to offer any theories about what caused the plane’s door plug to blow off, Homendy demurred.
    — Jeremy Childs, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2024
  • Of those who demurred, most said that the meeting did not change their position on Menendez or the charges.
    — Emily Jacobs, Washington Examiner, 28 Sep. 2023
  • In years past, Nixon said, she’d been asked to consider filling this role and had always demurred.
    — Jessica Pressler, Daily Intelligencer, 15 Apr. 2018
  • Asked if the Oilers don’t care what people think about them, Bowman demurred.
    — Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 23 June 2026
  • When asked about his response to Warren’s lead among those voters, Sanders demurred.
    — Ben Kamisar, NBC News, 14 July 2019
  • Since then, lawmakers have demurred from adding crimes to the list of violent felonies that invoke the three-strikes law.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 15 Jan. 2026
  • The group of Wilson’s former teammates demurred.
    — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
  • Tran has been approached in the past to run for Oakland City Council but demurred.
    — Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 May 2023
  • When asked if middle-class taxes will go up to pay for Medicare for all, Warren demurred.
    — Grace Segers, CBS News, 13 Sep. 2019
  • When the Journal asked if his colleagues share this view, Alito demurred.
    — Matt Ford, The New Republic, 12 Sep. 2023
  • Musk, for his part, demurred when Diamandis asked about his own trillionaire status.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 12 June 2026
  • For now, most of the possible contenders are demurring when asked about their plans for 2020.
    — The Washington Post, The Mercury News, 6 June 2017
  • The Israeli command demurred on the coup proposal.
    — Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026
  • When pushed for details about how the industry changed or if the delay is due to cost, Söderström largely demurred.
    — Jay Peters, The Verge, 14 Mar. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'demur.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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