murmurs 1 of 2

noun

plural of murmur
1
as in whines
an expression of dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment finished the tedious job without a murmur

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2
as in whispers
speech that is not clear enough to be understood could just barely hear the murmurs of the audience

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murmurs

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of murmur
1
as in complains
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely no prisoner dared murmur out loud

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mutters
to speak softly and unclearly a college professor who tends to murmur

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of murmurs
Noun
The room filled with soft murmurs. — Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 30 Apr. 2026 In the first few minutes, the jeers were murmurs that faded into the overall atmosphere in the stands. — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 20 June 2026 But murmurs of laughter broke out a few times when justices noted constitutional tensions in the case. — Michael Collins, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026 Both threw cold water on those murmurs, reiterating love for their respective schools. — Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2026 Minnesota has been heavily linked to the Greek forward dating back to the trade deadline, and those murmurs don’t figure to subside in the next month-plus. — Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 26 May 2026 All three contribute airy, wordless vocals, often just overlapping coos or melodic murmurs, that give the atmospheric strings real contours and depths. — Reed Jackson, SPIN, 19 Mar. 2026 That absence has allowed for murmurs of doubt to seep in and create a space for a new enclave of rap fans to dismiss his music as generationally specific despite his very real track record and influence over pop culture. — Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 31 May 2026 The stadium, packed to the brim with more than 82,000 fans, reverberated with stunned murmurs as Morocco’s Ismael Saibari snuck behind a distracted Brazil defense and chipped home a beautiful goal over goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s head to open the scoring in the 22nd minute. — Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 14 June 2026
Verb
The remark drew a mix of gasps, murmurs and laughs from others in the room. — Emily Chang, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026 Yoon murmurs something into her ear. — Literary Hub, 11 June 2026 Tess murmurs, having had no idea that Alex, who works in finance, has started moonlighting in standup. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2025 An aide for former first daughter Chelsea Clinton shut down murmurs about her entering the race. — Kyler Alvord, PEOPLE, 12 Nov. 2025 There are also murmurs about the US government wanting a stake in the company. — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 11 June 2026 Located at the foot of Petit Piton, guests are transported to a slice of tranquility, where the sound of a running stream murmurs in the background. — Nneka M. Okona, Travel + Leisure, 15 Feb. 2026 In between each narrative episode, like an intertitle in a silent film, Guanyin, the goddess of Mercy (the exquisite soprano Mei Gui Zhang), murmurs Buddhist verses from her floating lotus. — Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Nov. 2025 But even amid the general euphoria, there recently have been murmurs about whether AI mania will prove to be an echo of the late 1990s dot-com boom and meltdown that plunged Silicon Valley into a funk that lasted several years. — Staff, Austin American Statesman, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for murmurs
  1. moans
  2. whispers
  3. complains
  4. mutters
  5. complaints
  6. grunts
  7. screams
  8. mumbles
Noun
  • The moans announced the doubt throughout Riviera’s 18th green amphitheater, a bowl full of thousands of fans unsure if the new guy could do it.
    — Brody Miller, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
  • At the moment that B’Tselem says Hathaleen collapsed, the visuals are jostled but moans of pain can be heard.
    — Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026
Definition of moans
Noun
  • Continue reading … AMERICAN CULTURE QUIZ — Test yourself on cruise controversies and wedding whispers.
    — , FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026
  • But whispers of two young French watchmaking wunderkinder spread quickly.
    — The Editors, Robb Report, 27 June 2026
Definition of whispers
Verb
  • If he had been forced to stick with readily available materials, Rashid complains, the deck behind the house would have been green or brown.
    — Dean Kaufman, Curbed, 30 June 2026
  • The document complains about trade, customs officers, juryless courts, and judges’ salaries.
    — Joseph Thorndike, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
Definition of complains
Verb
  • Your dad mutters for head movement, for cage cutting, for not playing off the back and creating distance.
    — Matthew Shen Goodman, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Definition of mutters
Noun
  • The result was a menu of skin complaints – fungal, bacterial and otherwise.
    — Katherine Ott, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
  • Florida ranks third in overall internet fraud complaints, as well as third in money lost, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center’s 2025 annual report.
    — Ella Moore July 2, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026
Definition of complaints
Noun
  • Most fights consist of dealing with waves of basic grunts with the occasional bruiser or shooter thrown in to keep you on edge.
    — Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 26 May 2026
  • The crowd erupted in hearty grunts and boos after the error.
    — Kendall Staton The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 25 May 2026
Definition of grunts
Verb
  • Pig screams were no different from our screams.
    — Will Mackin, New Yorker, 28 June 2026
  • Nothing screams summer like nautical stripes.
    — Genevieve Cepeda, InStyle, 26 June 2026
Definition of screams
Verb
  • Both look over at me and then Lumet mumbles something and the conversation abruptly ends.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2026
  • Meanwhile, everyone is still running around like the Keystone Kops chasing Billie, passing an old lady in a bed eating Jell-O who mumbles something in Diné.
    — Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Feb. 2026
Definition of mumbles

Browse Nearby Words

murmurous
murmurs
Murphy bed
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Cite this Entry

“Murmurs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/murmurs. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on murmurs

Nglish: Translation of murmurs for Spanish Speakers

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