mumble
/ˈmʌmbəl/ verb, noun
Forms mumbles mumbling mumbled
- verb (transitive, intransitive) To speak unintelligibly or inaudibly; to fail to articulate. “Please try not to mumble so I can hear you better.”
- verb To chew something gently with closed lips.
- noun A quiet or unintelligible vocalization; a low tone of voice. “All I could hear was a mumble from the next room.”
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English momelen, a frequentative of mum (sense 3) (“silent”). Compare German mümmeln, Middle Dutch mommelen and Dutch mompelen. Perhaps related to Norwegian Nynorsk mumpa (“to gum, to chew without teeth”).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To speak with the lips partly closed, so as to render the sounds inarticulate and imperfect; to utter words in a grumbling indistinct manner, indicating discontent or displeasure; to mutter.
- verb To chew something gently with closed lips.
- verb To utter with a low, inarticulate voice. Bp. Hall.
- verb To chew or bite gently, as one without teeth.
Etymology [OE. momelen; cf. D. mompelen, mommelen, G. mummelen, Sw. mumla, Dan. mumle. Cf. Mum, a., Mumm, Mump, v.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “mumble”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details