# mumble

Pronunciation: say "MUM-buhl" /ˈmʌmbəl/

## Verb

1. To speak unclearly or too quietly to be understood, without forming the words distinctly.
   - Simple: To speak so quietly or unclearly that people cannot understand you.
   - _Teenagers often mumble when adults ask them direct questions._
   - _She mumbled the address so quietly that the driver missed the turn._
3. To chew something softly with the lips kept together, as someone with weak teeth might.
   - Simple: To chew food slowly and softly with the lips kept closed.
   - _The baby mumbled a crust of bread with her toothless gums._
   - _Elderly patients sometimes mumble their food rather than chewing it firmly._

## Noun

2. A low, indistinct vocalization, or a quiet tone of voice that is hard to make out.
   - Simple: A soft, unclear sound made when someone speaks too quietly to understand.
   - _The crowd's anger died down to a discontented mumble._
   - _He gave only a mumble in response, so she asked the question again._

## Origin

From Middle English momelen, a frequentative of mum ("silent"), comparable to German mümmeln and Dutch mompelen. It is perhaps related to Norwegian Nynorsk mumpa ("to gum, to chew without teeth").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/mumble (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).