mumble

English

Etymology

From Middle English momelen, a frequentative of mum (sense 3) (“silent”). Compare German mümmeln, Middle Dutch mommelen and Dutch mompelen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmʌmbəl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌmbəl

Verb

mumble (third-person singular simple present mumbles, present participle mumbling, simple past and past participle mumbled)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To speak unintelligibly or inaudibly; to fail to articulate.

   Please try not to mumble so I can hear you better.

   • c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene v]:

     Peace, you mumbling fool.

   • 1680, Thomas Otway, The Orphan:

     A wrinkled hag, with age grown double, / Picking dry sticks, and mumbling to herself.

2. To chew something gently with closed lips.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:mutter

Derived terms

• mumblage
• mumblecore
• mumble-matins
• mumblenews
• mumbler
• mumble rap
• mumblety peg

 

Translations

to speak unintelligibly

• Bikol Central: kimutkimot
• Bulgarian: мънкам (bg) (mǎnkam), фъфля (bg) (fǎflja)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 咕噥／咕哝 (zh) (gūnong)

• Czech: mumlat
• Danish: mumle (da)
• Dutch: mompelen (nl)
• Faroese: mutla, mølma
• Finnish: mumista (fi), mutista (fi), mongertaa (fi)
• French: marmonner (fr)
• German: murmeln (de), nuscheln (de)
• Hungarian: motyog (hu)
• Icelandic: muldra (is)
• Indonesian: bergumam (id)
• Italian: biascicare (it), mugugnare (it), farfugliare (it), balbettare (it), borbottare (it)
• Japanese: 呟く (ja) (つぶやく, tsubuyaku), 囁く (ja) (ささやく, sasayaku)
• Macedonian: мумла (mumla)
• Maori: whakameme, pararāwaha, whakahāhā
• Norwegian: mumle (no)
• Polish: mamrotać (pl)
• Portuguese: murmurar (pt)
• Russian: бормота́ть (ru) impf (bormotátʹ), пробормота́ть (ru) pf (probormotátʹ), мя́млить (ru) impf (mjámlitʹ), промя́млить (ru) pf (promjámlitʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: brunndail
• Spanish: mascullar (es), mascujar (es), susurrar (es)
• Swedish: mumla (sv)
• Ukrainian: ми́мрити impf (mýmryty)
• Vietnamese: lí nhí (vi)

to chew something gently with closed lips

• German: mümmeln (de)

Noun

mumble (plural mumbles)

1. A quiet or unintelligible vocalization; a low tone of voice.

   All I could hear was a mumble from the next room.

   He spoke in a barely comprehensible mumble.

Translations

quiet vocalization

• Arabic: غَمْغَمَة‎ f (ḡamḡama)
• Bulgarian: мънкане n (mǎnkane)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 低語／低语 (zh) (dīyǔ)

• Czech: mumlání n
• Danish: mumlen
• Finnish: mumina (fi)
• German: Murmeln (de) n
• Hungarian: motyogás (hu)
• Italian: biascicamento m, mugugno (it) m, borbottio m, balbettio m, farfugliamento m
• Norwegian: mumling m or f
• Polish: mamrotanie (pl) n
• Russian: бормота́ние (ru) n (bormotánije)
• Spanish: mascujada (es) f

Anagrams

• bummle