Mumble
['mʌmb(ə)l] or ['mʌmbl]
Definition
(noun.) a soft indistinct utterance.
(verb.) talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice.
(verb.) grind with the gums; chew without teeth and with great difficulty; 'the old man had no teeth left and mumbled his food'.
Edited by Candice--From WordNet
Definition
(v.) 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.
(v.) To chew something gently with closed lips.
(v. t.) To utter with a low, inarticulate voice.
(v. t.) To chew or bite gently, as one without teeth.
(v. t.) To suppress, or utter imperfectly.
Editor: Melinda
Synonyms and Synonymous
v. n. Mutter, speak inarticulately.
Typist: Xavier
Definition
v.i. to speak indistinctly: to chew softly: to eat with the lips close.—v.t. to utter indistinctly or imperfectly: to mouth gently.—ns. Mum′blement mumbling speech; Mum′ble-news (Shak.) a tale-bearer; Mum′bler one who mumbles or speaks with a low indistinct voice.—adj. Mum′bling uttered with a low indistinct voice: chewing softly.—adv. Mum′blingly.
Checked by Fern
Examples
- A man stumbled against him as he turned away, who mumbled some maudlin apology. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- He mumbled the end of his pen, and looked up in his wife's face. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- Now I am the first man in the state, burthen of every ballad, and object of old women's mumbled devotions. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- Witness: He mumbled a few words, but I could only catch some allusion to a rat. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
- He mumbled several words, you understand, but that was all that caught the son's ear. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
- Good boy, Charley--well done--' he mumbled. Charles Dickens. Oliver Twist.
- I had mumbled but a lame mass an thou hadst broken my jaw, for the piper plays ill that wants the nether chops. Walter Scott. Ivanhoe.
- Again, I listen to Miss Murdstone mumbling the responses, and emphasizing all the dread words with a cruel relish. Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- The old man mumbling to himself, after some consideration, that Fanny had run away, went to the next room to fetch her back. Charles Dickens. Little Dorrit.
- Well, the lady can't deny that it's a handsome arrangement, Mr. Letterblair had summed up, after mumbling over a summary of the settlement. Edith Wharton. The Age of Innocence.
Inputed by Cathleen