2 VERB To murder someone means to commit the crime of killing them deliberately. □ [V n] …a thriller about two men who murder a third to see if they can get away with it. □ [V -ed] …the body of a murdered religious and political leader. [Also V ]
3 PHRASE If you say that someone gets away with murder , you are complaining that they can do whatever they like without anyone trying to control them or punish them. [INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ His charm and the fact that he is so likeable often allows him to get away with murder.
mur|der|er /mɜː r dərə r / (murderers ) N‑COUNT A murderer is a person who has murdered someone. □ One of these men may have been the murderer.
mur|der|ess /mɜː r dər I s/ (murderesses ) N‑COUNT A murderess is a woman who has murdered someone.
mur|der|ous /mɜː r dərəs/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Someone who is murderous is likely to murder someone and may already have murdered someone. □ This murderous lunatic could kill them both without a second thought.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A murderous attack or other action is very violent and intended to result in someone's death. □ He made a murderous attack on his wife that evening.
mur|der|ous|ly /mɜː r dərəsli/ ADV [ADV adj, ADV with v] You use murderously to indicate that something is extremely unpleasant or threatening. □ Beauchamp glared at her murderously.
murk /mɜː r k/ N‑SING The murk is darkness, dark water, or thick mist that is very difficult to see through. □ All of a sudden a tall old man in a black cloak loomed out of the murk.
murky /mɜː r ki/ (murkier , murkiest )
1 ADJ A murky place or time of day is dark and rather unpleasant because there is not enough light. □ [+ with ] The large lamplit room was murky with woodsmoke.
2 ADJ Murky water or fog is so dark and dirty that you cannot see through it. □ …the deep, murky waters of Loch Ness.
3 ADJ If you describe an activity or situation as murky , you suspect that it is dishonest or morally wrong. [BRIT , DISAPPROVAL ] □ There has been a murky conspiracy to keep them out of power.
4 ADJ If you describe something as murky , you mean that the details of it are not clear or that it is difficult to understand. □ The law here is a little bit murky.
mur|mur /mɜː r mə r / (murmurs , murmuring , murmured )
1 VERB If you murmur something, you say it very quietly, so that not many people can hear what you are saying. □ [V n + to ] He turned and murmured something to the professor. □ [V n] She murmured a few words of support. □ [V with quote] 'How lovely,' she murmured. □ [V that] Murmuring softly that they must go somewhere to talk, he led her from the garden.
2 N‑COUNT [usu adj N ] A murmur is something that is said which can hardly be heard. □ They spoke in low murmurs.
3 N‑SING A murmur is a continuous low sound, like the noise of a river or of voices far away. □ [+ of ] The piano music mixes with the murmur of conversation. □ The clamor of traffic has receded to a distant murmur.
4 N‑COUNT A murmur of a particular emotion is a quiet expression of it. □ [+ of ] The promise of some basic working rights draws murmurs of approval.
5 N‑COUNT [usu sing] A murmur is an abnormal sound which is made by the heart and which shows that there is probably something wrong with it. □ The doctor said James had now developed a heart murmur.
6 PHRASE If someone does something without a murmur , they do it without complaining.
mur|mur|ings /mɜː r mər I ŋz/ N‑PLURAL If there are murmurings of , for example, approval or disapproval, people are expressing their approval or disapproval of something in a quiet way. □ For some time there have been murmurings of discontent over the government policy on inflation. □ [+ of ] At this point there were murmurings of approval from the experts.
Murphy's Law /mɜː r fiz lɔː/ N‑PROPER Murphy's Law is the idea that whatever can go wrong in a situation will go wrong.
mus|cle ◆◇◇ /mʌ s ə l/ (muscles , muscling , muscled )
1 N‑VAR A muscle is a piece of tissue inside your body which connects two bones and which you use when you make a movement. □ Keeping your muscles strong and in tone helps you to avoid back problems. □ He is suffering from a strained thigh muscle.
2 N‑UNCOUNT If you say that someone has muscle , you mean that they have power and influence, which enables them to do difficult things. □ Eisenhower used his muscle to persuade Congress to change the law.
3 PHRASE If a group, organization, or country flexes its muscles , it does something to impress or frighten people, in order to show them that it has power and is considering using it. □ The Fair Trade Commission has of late been flexing its muscles, cracking down on cases of corruption.
4 PHRASE If you say that someone did not move a muscle , you mean that they stayed absolutely still. □ He stood without moving a muscle, unable to believe what his eyes saw so plainly.
▸ muscle in PHRASAL VERB If someone muscles in on something, they force their way into a situation where they have no right to be and where they are not welcome, in order to gain some advantage for themselves. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ [V P + on ] Cohen complained that Kravis was muscling in on his deal. □ [V P ] It would be surprising were the Mafia not to have muscled in.