Basic Details
Word: Murmured
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Past tense of murmur: said something in a soft, low voice, or made a gentle, steady sound.
Synonyms: whispered, muttered, mumbled
Antonyms: shouted, yelled
How to Spell Murmured
Syllables: mur - mured
Tricky part: No letter doubles before ed. Students write murmurred because of words like occurred, or turn the second u into e.
Watch out for: murmurred, murmered, murmerd
Memory tip: Murmur is said with the beat on its first part, MUR-mur, so the last r stays single: just add ed, as in wondered and whispered.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The baby murmured in her sleep and turned over.
Example 2: The leaves murmured in the evening breeze outside my window.
Example 3: Dadi murmured a blessing as we touched her feet before the exam.
Fun Fact
A huge flock of starlings swirling together at dusk is called a murmuration, a name taken from the soft rushing sound of their wings.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
One letter in this word is not needed. Find it:
murmurred
a) r
b) u
c) d
d) m
Show answer
a) r. One r is enough before ed, because the stress in murmur is not on the last part.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word murmured as used in the sentence:
'I'm not hungry,' Kabir murmured, pushing his plate away.
a) shouted
b) screamed
c) cheered
d) whispered
Show answer
d) whispered. Kabir spoke softly, and whispered is the only quiet way of speaking in the list.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
The old priest rudermum a prayer before lighting the lamp.
a) murmured
b) measured
c) muttered
d) mirrored
Show answer
a) murmured. Two m's and two u's are in the jumble; measured, mirrored and muttered each have just one m.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which sound is most likely to be described as murmured?
a) a fire siren
b) a loud cheer
c) a car horn
d) a soft reply
Show answer
d) a soft reply
2. A crowd that murmured during the speech ____.
a) talked quietly among themselves
b) ran out of the hall
c) clapped loudly at the end
d) sang the national anthem
Show answer
a) talked quietly among themselves
