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mumble
8 dictionary results for: Mumble
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
[muhm-buh
l] 
verb, -bled, -bling, noun
mum⋅ble
[muhm-buhl] verb, -bled, -bling, noun
–verb (used without object)
–verb (used with object)
–noun
| 1. | to speak in a low indistinct manner, almost to an unintelligible extent; mutter. |
| 2. | to chew ineffectively, as from loss of teeth: to mumble on a crust. |
| 3. | to say or utter indistinctly, as with partly closed lips: He mumbled something about expenses. |
| 4. | to chew, or try to eat, with difficulty, as from loss of teeth. |
| 5. | a low, indistinct utterance or sound. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| mum·ble
(mŭm'bəl) Pronunciation Key
v. mum·bled, mum·bling, mum·bles v. tr.
[Middle English momelen, from Middle Dutch mommelen.] mum'bler n., mum'bly adj. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
mumble
mumble
c.1325, momelen, "to eat in a slow, ineffective manner," probably freq. of mum (interj.). The -b- is excrescent. Meaning "to speak indistinctly" is from 1362. The noun is first attested 1902.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| mumble | |
noun | |
| 1. | a soft indistinct utterance |
verb | |
| 1. | talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice |
| 2. | grind with the gums; chew without teeth and with great difficulty; "the old man had no teeth left and mumbled his food" |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Free On-line Dictionary of Computing - Cite This Source - Share This
mumble
1. Said when the correct response is too complicated to enunciate, or the speaker has not thought it out. Often prefaces a longer answer, or indicates a general reluctance to get into a long discussion. "Don't you think that we could improve LISP performance by using a hybrid reference-count transaction garbage collector, if the cache is big enough and there are some extra cache bits for the microcode to use?" "Well, mumble ... I'll have to think about it."
2. Yet another metasyntactic variable, like foo.
3. Sometimes used in "public" contexts on-line as a placefiller for things one is barred from giving details about. For example, a poster with pre-released hardware in his machine might say "Yup, my machine now has an extra 16M of memory, thanks to the card I'm testing for Mumbleco."
4. A conversational wild card used to designate something one doesn't want to bother spelling out, but which can be glarked from context. Compare blurgle.
5. [XEROX PARC] A colloquialism used to suggest that further discussion would be fruitless.
(1997-03-27)
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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Jargon File - Cite This Source - Share This
1. Said when the correct response is too complicated to enunciate, or the speaker has not thought it out. Often prefaces a longer answer, or indicates a general reluctance to get into a long discussion. "Don't you think that we could improve LISP performance by using a hybrid reference-count transaction garbage collector, if the cache is big enough and there are some extra cache bits for the microcode to use?" "Well, mumble ... I'll have to think about it."
2. [MIT] Expression of not-quite-articulated agreement, often used as an informal vote of consensus in a meeting: "So, shall we dike out the COBOL emulation?" "Mumble!"
3. Sometimes used as an expression of disagreement (distinguished from sense 2 by tone of voice and other cues). "I think we should buy a VAX." "Mumble!" Common variant: `mumble frotz' (see frotz; interestingly, one does not say `mumble frobnitz' even though `frotz' is short for `frobnitz').
4. Yet another metasyntactic variable, like foo.
5. When used as a question ("Mumble?") means "I didn't understand you".
6. Sometimes used in `public' contexts on-line as a placefiller for things one is barred from giving details about. For example, a poster with pre-released hardware in his machine might say "Yup, my machine now has an extra 16M of memory, thanks to the card I'm testing for Mumbleco."
7. A conversational wild card used to designate something one doesn't want to bother spelling out, but which can be glarked from context. Compare blurgle.
8. [XEROX PARC] A colloquialism used to suggest that further discussion would be fruitless.
mumble
interj.1. Said when the correct response is too complicated to enunciate, or the speaker has not thought it out. Often prefaces a longer answer, or indicates a general reluctance to get into a long discussion. "Don't you think that we could improve LISP performance by using a hybrid reference-count transaction garbage collector, if the cache is big enough and there are some extra cache bits for the microcode to use?" "Well, mumble ... I'll have to think about it."
2. [MIT] Expression of not-quite-articulated agreement, often used as an informal vote of consensus in a meeting: "So, shall we dike out the COBOL emulation?" "Mumble!"
3. Sometimes used as an expression of disagreement (distinguished from sense 2 by tone of voice and other cues). "I think we should buy a VAX." "Mumble!" Common variant: `mumble frotz' (see frotz; interestingly, one does not say `mumble frobnitz' even though `frotz' is short for `frobnitz').
4. Yet another metasyntactic variable, like foo.
5. When used as a question ("Mumble?") means "I didn't understand you".
6. Sometimes used in `public' contexts on-line as a placefiller for things one is barred from giving details about. For example, a poster with pre-released hardware in his machine might say "Yup, my machine now has an extra 16M of memory, thanks to the card I'm testing for Mumbleco."
7. A conversational wild card used to designate something one doesn't want to bother spelling out, but which can be glarked from context. Compare blurgle.
8. [XEROX PARC] A colloquialism used to suggest that further discussion would be fruitless.
Jargon File 4.2.0
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Mumble
Mum"ble\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mumbled; p. pr. & vb. n. Mumbling.] [OE. momelen; cf. D. mompelen, mommelen, G. mummelen, Sw. mumla, Dan. mumle. Cf. Mum, a., Mumm, Mump, v.]1. 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. Peace, you mumbling fool. --Shak. A wrinkled hag, with age grown double, Picking dry sticks, and mumbling to herself. --Otway. 2. To chew something gently with closed lips.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Mumble
Mum"ble\, v. t. 1. To utter with a low, inarticulate voice. --Bp. Hall. 2. To chew or bite gently, as one without teeth. Gums unarmed, to mumble meat in vain. --Dryden. 3. To suppress, or utter imperfectly.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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