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Mumbled

 - 3 dictionary results

mum⋅ble

  [muhm-buhl] verb, -bled, -bling, noun
Use Mumbled in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
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.
–verb (used with object)
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.
–noun
5. a low, indistinct utterance or sound.
Origin:
1275–1325; ME momelen, equiv. to mom(me) mum 1 + -elen -le; cf. D mommelen, G mummeln

Related forms:
mumbler, noun
mum⋅bling⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1, 3. See murmur.

Antonyms:
1. articulate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Mumbled
mum·ble   (mŭm'bəl)   
v.   mum·bled, mum·bling, mum·bles

v.   tr.

  1. To utter indistinctly by lowering the voice or partially closing the mouth: mumbled an insincere apology.

  2. To chew slowly or ineffectively without or as if without teeth.

v.   intr.

  1. To speak words indistinctly, as by lowering the voice or partially closing the mouth.

  2. To chew food slowly or ineffectively, as if with the gums.

n.  A low indistinct sound or utterance.

[Middle English momelen, from Middle Dutch mommelen.]
mum'bler n., mum'bly adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

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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