Demur
Contents
English
Verb
Demur (third-person singular simple present Demurs, present participle demurring, simple past and past participle demurred)
- (intransitive, obsolete) To linger; to stay; to tarry
- "Yet durst not demur nor abide upon the camp. - Nicols?
- (intransitive) To delay; to pause; to suspend proceedings or judgment in view of a doubt or difficulty; to hesitate; to put off the determination or conclusion of an affair.
- Upon this rub, the English embassadors thought fit to demur. - Hayward?
- (intransitive) To scruple or object; to take exception; to oppose; to balk
- I demur to that statement.
- The personnel demurred at the management's new scheme.
- (intransitive, law) To interpose a demurrer.
- (intransitive) To balk; to oppose.
- (transitive, obsolete) To suspend judgment concerning; to doubt of or hesitate about
- The latter I demur, for in their looks Much reason, and in their actions, oft appears. - John Milton
- (transitive, obsolete) To cause delay to; to put off
- He demands a fee, And then demurs me with a vain delay. - Quarles?
Noun
Demur (plural Demurs)- Stop; pause; hesitation as to proceeding; suspense of decision or action; scruple.
- All my demurs but double his attacks; At last he whispers, ``Do; and we go snacks. - Alexander Pope
- She agreed to his request without demur.
Synonyms for Demur
object, except, shy, hesitate, balk, waver, pause, vacillate, dissent, scruple, disapprove.
Antonyms for Demur
agree, accept, assent, consent.
Related terms
Thesaurus
aversion, back down, balance, balk, bashfulness, beef, bitch, blench, boggle, boggling, boycott, call in question, challenge, combat, combative reaction, complain, complaint, compunction, conscience, counteraction, cry out against, debate, defiance, deliberate, demonstrate, demonstrate against, demonstration, demurral, demurrer, deprecate, deprecation, difference, difficulty, diffidence, disagreement, disapproval, disapprove, disinclination, dispute, dissent, dissentience, enter a protest, exception, expostulate, expostulation, falter, faltering, fear, fight, fight shy of, flinch, fractiousness, gag, grievance, grievance committee, hang back, hang off, have qualms, hem and haw, hesitance, hesitancy, hesitate, hesitation, hold off, holler, hover, howl, hum and haw, indignation meeting, jib, kick, make bones about, march, modesty, negativism, noncooperation, nonviolent protest, object, objection, obstinacy, oppose, opposition, passive resistance, pause, picket, picketing, ponder, press objections, protest, protest demonstration, protestation, pull back, quail, qualm, qualm of conscience, qualmishness, question, raise a howl, rally, reaction, rebuff, recalcitrance, recalcitrancy, recalcitration, recoil, refractoriness, reluctance, remonstrance, remonstrate, remonstration, renitence, renitency, repellence, repellency, repulse, repulsion, resist, resistance, retreat, revolt, scruple, scrupulosity, scrupulousness, shilly-shally, shrink, shrinking, shy, shy at, shyness, sit in, sit-in, squawk, stand, state a grievance, stick, stick at, stickle, stickling, stop to consider, straddle the fence, strain, strain at, strike, stumble, teach in, teach-in, think twice about, uncooperativeness, unwillingness, vacillate, variance, waver, wince, withdraw, withstanding, yell bloody murder, yield
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman demorer, from Old French demorer (French demeurer), from Vulgar Latin demoro, Latin demorari (“to tarry”), from de- + morari (“to delay”).[1]
Pronunciation
- Distinguish from pronunciation of demure
Translations
Verb
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Noun
Derived terms
References
Latin
Verb
dēmur
- first-person plural present passive subjunctive of dō
