murmur
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++mur·mur1 /ˈmɜːmə $ ˈmɜːrmər/ ●○○ verb 1 [intransitive, transitive]SAY to say something in a soft quiet voice that is difficult to hear clearly 小声说，低语，咕哝 ‘Well done, ’ murmured George. “干得好。”乔治低语道。 The girl murmured something polite, and smiled. 那个女孩低声说了些客套话，并且笑了笑。 Julie turned over and murmured in her sleep. 朱莉翻了个身，叽里咕噜地说着梦话。► see thesaurus at say2 [intransitive]DNC to make a soft low sound 发出轻柔低沉的声音 The wind murmured through the trees. 风在林间低语。3. [intransitive + against] literary especially British EnglishCOMPLAIN to complain to friends and people you work with, but not officially 〔向朋友和同事〕私下抱怨，发牢骚 —murmuring noun [countable, uncountable] murmurings of discontent 不满的抱怨→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
murmur• She heard the priest murmuring a prayer at the front of the church.• I murmured a prayer of thanks.• He didn't murmur a single word of protest.• David woke and heard them murmuring down on the ground floor - the sound of a cocktail party.• He began stroking her hair and gently murmuring her name.• He shook Wynne-Jones who murmured in his sleep, then began to weep.• He murmured something, but she did not catch the words.• The child murmured something in its sleep.• The wind murmured through the trees.murmur2 noun [countable] 1 CSOUNDa soft low sound made by people speaking quietly or a long way away 轻轻的谈话声，低语声murmur of the murmur of voices in the other room 另一个房间里的低语声 She replied in a low murmur. 她轻轻地柔声回答。murmur of agreement/surprise/regret etc (=one that expresses a particular feeling) 表示同意/惊讶/后悔等的低语声 There was a murmur of agreement from the crowd. 人群中发出表示赞同的低语声。► see thesaurus at sound2 COMPLAINa complaint, but not a strong or official complaint 私下的抱怨，怨言，咕哝murmur of There have been murmurs of discontent over the new rules. 对新的规则已有一些不满的言论。3 do something without a murmur to do something without complaining, especially when this is surprising 一声不吭 [毫无抱怨]地做某事 They signed the form without a murmur. 他们二话不说就在表格上签了名。4 DNCthe soft low sound made by water, the wind etc 〔水、风等发出的〕低沉的声音，轻柔的声音 the murmur of the little brook 小溪淙淙的流水声5. MIC heart murmur an unusual sound made by the heart, which shows that there may be something wrong with it 心脏杂音Examples from the Corpus
murmur• Sandy has hold of my lapel in the lightest way, instructing me in a murmur.• There wasn't a murmur of disapproval from the drug testers - all the ingredients were natural and contained no chemical stimulants.• Jan had the radio on in the room above, but it was no more than a murmur.• A murmur of laughter ran through the congregation.• Wagner spoke in a barely audible murmur.• From the library there was a broken murmur of voices, subdued and spasmodic as a funeral gathering.• A dark murmur rose among the diners.• There were excited murmurs as the President entered the hall.• a heart murmur• His throaty little murmurs told of his contentment and enjoyment of the ride.• Sympathetic murmurs greet this delicate reference to her own spinsterhood, and the hunters then move in for the kill.• Audible gasps rose here and there together with short, whispered words and the murmur of anticipation.• The murmur of distant traffic reached us when the wind was in the east.• the murmur of the little brookmurmur of agreement/surprise/regret etc• This caused a murmur of surprise amongst the onlookers.• There was a murmur of surprise and enthusiasm in the hall.• Once again the information that Elisa was living in a pensione provoked murmurs of surprise.• When he spoke, the others confined themselves to murmurs of agreement.Origin murmur2 (1300-1400) French murmure, from Latin murmurmur·mur1 verbmurmur2 nounChineseSyllable
soft voice to Corpus something quiet in say that a
murmur
mur‧mur1 /ˈmɜːmə $ ˈmɜːrmər/ 
verb
1. [intransitive and 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.
2. [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 [uncountable and countable]:
murmurings of discontent
■ different ways of saying something
▪whisper to say something very quietly, using your breath rather than your full voice: ‘Don’t wake the baby,’ Jenny whispered.
▪mumble to say something quietly without pronouncing the words clearly: He mumbled his thanks.
▪mutter to say something quietly, especially when you are annoyed but do not want someone to hear you complaining: ‘This is ridiculous,’ he muttered under his breath. | She muttered something about having to go home early.
▪murmur to say something in a soft slow gentle voice: She stroked his hair and murmured, ‘Don’t worry. You’ll be all right.’
▪growl to say something in a low angry voice: ‘As I was saying,’ Lewis growled, ‘it needs to be finished today.’
▪snarl to say something in a nasty angry way: ‘Get out of my way!’ he snarled.
▪exclaim to say something suddenly and loudly: ‘How beautiful!’ she exclaimed.
▪blurt out to suddenly say something without thinking, especially something embarrassing or secret: It was partly nervousness that had made him blurt out the question.
▪stammer/stutter to speak with a lot of pauses and repeated sounds, because you have a speech problem, or because you are nervous or excited: ‘I’ll, I’ll only be a m-moment,’ he stammered.
murmur2 noun [countable]
murmur of
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.
2. a complaint, but not a strong or official complaint
murmur of
There have been murmurs of discontent over the new rules.
3. do something without a murmur to do something without complaining, especially when this is surprising:
They signed the form without a murmur.
4. the soft low sound made by water, the wind etc:
the murmur of the little brook
5. heart murmur an unusual sound made by the heart, which shows that there may be something wrong with it
■ a quiet sound
▪hum 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.
▪rustle 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
▪murmur 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.
▪rumble 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
| I |
verb1. [intransitive and transitive] to say something in a soft quiet voice that is difficult to hear clearly:
2. [intransitive] to make a soft low sound:
3. [intransitive + against] literary especially British English to complain to friends and people you work with, but not officially
—murmuring noun [uncountable and countable]:
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| II |
noun [countable] Date: 1300-1400
Language: French
Origin: murmure, from Latin murmur
1. a soft low sound made by people speaking quietly or a long way awayLanguage: French
Origin: murmure, from Latin murmur
murmur of
murmur of agreement/surprise/regret etc (=one that expresses a particular feeling)
2. a complaint, but not a strong or official complaint
murmur of
3. do something without a murmur to do something without complaining, especially when this is surprising:
4. the soft low sound made by water, the wind etc:
5. heart murmur an unusual sound made by the heart, which shows that there may be something wrong with it
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