mumble
/ˈmʌmb(ə)l
/verb
1 [reporting verb] Say something indistinctly and quietly, making it difficult for others to hear: [with object]: he mumbled something she didn’t catch [with direct speech]: ‘Sorry,’ she mumbled...
- She heard him mumble something indistinct, and he tried to spit at her, but his aim left a lot to be desired.
- When I hear people mumbling away about what a terrible world this is to bring children into, I want to spit.
- They mumbled quietly to each other for the rest of the journey.
Synonyms
mutter, murmur, speak indistinctly, talk under one's breath, speak sotto voce, talk to oneself
rare maffle
2 [with object] Bite or chew (something) with toothless gums or without making much use of the teeth: she mumbled a piece of black bread
noun [usually in singular]
A quiet and indistinct utterance: Rosie had replied in a mumble...
- His speech is something between a muffle and a mumble, a perpetual whisper beneath the breath.
- Her voice was a mere mumble as she answered back.
- His voice dropped to a mumble, his grip on my wrist loosened and he stopped struggling so much.
Derivatives
mumbler
/ noun ...- And I'm not insisting the whisperers, mumblers, droners and mic-dummies of this world be barred from reading their own poetry out loud.
- I'd have to say that my experience at the Annual General Meeting of our student society was marked by mumblers of the most extraordinary kind.
- First of all, she's a mumbler, so I really have to strain to hear her.
Origin
Middle English: frequentative of mum1.