mumble

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“
All I caught of his mumble was a vague--"quite correct," than which nothing could have been more egregiously false at bottom--to my view, at least.

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Definitions (16)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (5)

  1. transitive verb To utter indistinctly by lowering the voice or partially closing the mouth: mumbled an insincere apology.
  2. transitive verb To chew slowly or ineffectively without or as if without teeth.
  3. intransitive verb To speak words indistinctly, as by lowering the voice or partially closing the mouth.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (6)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (2)

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Examples (50)

  • All right, now these are the wha -- I'd say, mumble, mumble -- mumble, mumble, mumble, mumble, mumble -- aighh! —  Tom Rielly delivers a comic send-up of TED2006
  • He began to mumble, and Doc listened carefully and wonderingly, gathering that Mr. Plott had felt that one canary, or either canary singly, was of no value in the scheme of things. —  177 - The Angry Canary
  • “What happened?” he began to mumble, then shook his head. —  Wit'ch's Storm
  • Mid-mumble, I looked up to see Freddy Barnes, the desk sergeant, standing not two feet away, gaping. —  Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, Feb 2002
  • Are you conscious The head of Robert Lorrey rolled so that Sidney could not see the lips, but he heard a mumble, the words not quite distinguishable Then Sidney Lorrey started violently, for the utterly pleasant voice of the fantastic Boke was in the room Your brother has a chance," said Boke's honeyed tones Sidney Lorrey, wrenching at the ropes which held him, gritted, "Get a doctor for him, damn you! —  022 - The Annihilist
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Related

Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

gurgle ·  mutterings ·  grunt ·  rumble ·  growl ·  whimper ·  thrum ·  rumbling ·  mutter ·  snort ·  bellow ·  grumble

Used in the same contextWord Family

mumble:   mumbled ·  mumbling ·  mumbles
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English momelen, from Middle Dutch mommelen.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from Middle English momelen = Dutch mommelen = German mummeln = Swedish mumla = Danish mumle, mumble; freq. of mum, v. Cf. mumble.
  2. from mumble, v.
 

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/ˈməmbl/
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