Meanings
present singular third person mumbles · participle present mumbling · participle past mumbled · past mumbled
- intransitivetransitiveTo speak unintelligibly or inaudibly; to fail to articulate.
Please try not to mumble so I can hear you better.
2 more examples
Peace, you mumbling fool.
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]A wrinkled hag, with age grown double, / Picking dry sticks, and mumbling to herself.
1680, Thomas Otway, The Orphan - To chew something gently with closed lips.
plural mumbles
- A quiet or unintelligible vocalization; a low tone of voice.
He spoke in a barely comprehensible mumble.
1 more example
All I could hear was a mumble from the next room.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbgrind with the gums; chew without teeth and with great difficulty
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishmomelen
- Englishmumble
From Middle English momelen, a frequentative of mum (sense 3) (“silent”). Compare German mümmeln, Middle Dutch mommelen and Dutch mompelen. Perhaps related to Norwegian Nynorsk mumpa (“to gum, to chew without teeth”).
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic غَمْغَمَة
- غَمْغَمَة (ḡamḡama)quiet vocalization
Bulgarian мънкам, фъфля
- мънкам (mănkam)to speak unintelligibly
- фъфля (făflja)to speak unintelligibly
- мънкане (mănkane)quiet vocalization
Chinese Mandarin 咕噥 /咕哝, 低語 /低语
- 咕噥 /咕哝 (gūnong)to speak unintelligibly
- 低語 /低语 (dīyǔ)quiet vocalization
Czech mumlat, mumlání
- mumlatto speak unintelligibly
- mumláníquiet vocalization
Danish mumle, mumlen
- mumleto speak unintelligibly
- mumlenquiet vocalization
Dutch mompelen
- mompelento speak unintelligibly
Esperanto murmuri
- murmurito speak unintelligibly
Finnish mumista, mutista
- mumistato speak unintelligibly
- mutistato speak unintelligibly
- mongertaato speak unintelligibly
- muminaquiet vocalization
French marmonner
- marmonnerto speak unintelligibly
German murmeln, nuscheln
- murmelnto speak unintelligibly
- nuschelnto speak unintelligibly
- mümmelnto chew something gently with closed lips
- Murmelnquiet vocalization
Hungarian motyog, motyogás
- motyogto speak unintelligibly
- motyogásquiet vocalization
Icelandic muldra
- muldrato speak unintelligibly
Indonesian bergumam
- bergumamto speak unintelligibly
Italian biascicare, mugugnare
- biascicareto speak unintelligibly
- mugugnareto speak unintelligibly
- farfugliareto speak unintelligibly
- balbettareto speak unintelligibly
- borbottareto speak unintelligibly
- biascicamentoquiet vocalization
- mugugnoquiet vocalization
- borbottioquiet vocalization
- balbettioquiet vocalization
- farfugliamentoquiet vocalization
Japanese 呟く, 囁く
- 呟く (tsubuyaku)to speak unintelligibly
- 囁く (sasayaku)to speak unintelligibly
Lithuanian murmėti
- murmėtito speak unintelligibly
Malay gumam
- gumamto speak unintelligibly
Māori whakameme, pararāwaha
- whakamemeto speak unintelligibly
- pararāwahato speak unintelligibly
- whakahāhāto speak unintelligibly
- nanuto speak unintelligibly
Norwegian mumle, mumling
- mumleto speak unintelligibly
- mumlingquiet vocalization
Polish mamrotać, mamrotanie
- mamrotaćto speak unintelligibly
- mamrotaniequiet vocalization
Portuguese murmurar
- murmurarto speak unintelligibly
Russian бормота́ть, пробормота́ть
- бормота́ть (bormotátʹ)to speak unintelligibly
- пробормота́ть (probormotátʹ)to speak unintelligibly
- мя́млить (mjámlitʹ)to speak unintelligibly
- промя́млить (promjámlitʹ)to speak unintelligibly
- бормота́ние (bormotánije)quiet vocalization
Scottish Gaelic brunndail
- brunndailto speak unintelligibly
Spanish mascullar, mascujar
- mascullarto speak unintelligibly
- mascujarto speak unintelligibly
- mamullarto speak unintelligibly
- balbucearto speak unintelligibly
- balbucirto speak unintelligibly
- mascujadaquiet vocalization
- balbuceoquiet vocalization
- balbucenciaquiet vocalization
Swedish mumla
- mumlato speak unintelligibly
Tamil முணுமுணு, முணுமுணுப்பு
- முணுமுணு (muṇumuṇu)to speak unintelligibly
- முணுமுணுப்பு (muṇumuṇuppu)quiet vocalization
Thai พึมพำ
- พึมพำ (pʉm-pam)to speak unintelligibly
Ukrainian ми́мрити
- ми́мрити (mýmryty)to speak unintelligibly
Vietnamese lí nhí
- lí nhíto speak unintelligibly
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with mumble
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
mumble. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mumble
“mumble.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mumble. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mumble,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mumble.
Source: mumble on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.