I. ˈməmbəl verb
( mumbled ; mumbled ; mumbling -b(ə)liŋ ; mumbles )
Etymology: Middle English momelen, of imitative origin
intransitive verb
1. archaic : to chew something gently with closed lips or with little use of the teeth
2. : to make speech sounds that are hard to understand because of minimal displacement of the speech organs from their rest position : utter words in a low confused indistinct manner : mutter
he lay … gray and limp, with a parson mumbling over him — Francis Yeats-Brown
transitive verb
1. : to utter with a low inarticulate voice
mumbled something about not having a license — George Meredith
2. : to chew or bite with or as if with toothless gums
the old women mumbling soft sandwiches — A.P.Gaskell
3. : to press or caress with the lips
she mumbled his cheek and called him “lovey” — Robertson Davies
4. chiefly dialect England : momble
II. noun
( -s )
: a low confused indistinct utterance : muttering
the mumble of his voice vanished — Gwyn Thomas