Verb

(en verb)

To utter words, especially complaints or angry expressions, indistinctly or with a low voice and lips partly closed; to say under one's breath.

You could hear the students mutter as they were served sodden spaghetti, yet again, in the cafeteria.

The beggar muttered words of thanks, as passersby dropped coins in his cup.

* {{quote-news

, year=2012 , date=June 28 , author=Jamie Jackson , title=Wimbledon 2012: Lukas Rosol shocked by miracle win over Rafael Nadal , work=the Guardian citation , page= , passage=This set – the set of Rosol's life – was studded with aces and menacing ground-strokes that left Nadal an impotent spectator often muttering to himself and at the umpire regarding a perceived misdemeanour by his opponent.}}

To speak softly and incoherently, or with imperfect articulations.

The asylum inmate muttered some doggerel about chains and pains to himself, over and over.

* Dryden

Meantime your filthy foreigner will stare, / And mutter to himself.

To make a sound with a low, rumbling noise.

April could hear the delivery van's engine muttering in the driveway.

* Alexander Pope

Thick lightnings flash, the muttering thunder rolls.

Verb

(en-verb)

To not allow.

I wanted to go to the party, but I was denied .

* 1847 , Anne Brontë, Agnes Grey Chapter XVI

'Do! pray do! I shall be the most miserable of men if you don't. You cannot be so cruel as to deny me a favour so easily granted and yet so highly prized!' pleaded he as ardently as if his life depended on it.

To assert that something is not true.

I deny that I was at the party.

Everyone knows he committed the crime, but he still denies it.

* {{quote-news

, year=2011 , date=November 1 , author=James Robinson and Lisa O'Carroll , title=Phone hacking: NoW warned about 'culture of illegal information access' , work=The Guardian citation , page= , passage=But Myler and Crone told the committee in September that they had made Murdoch aware at the 10 June 2008 meeting that hacking was not restricted to a single journalist. They claimed this was the reason Murdoch agreed to settle the Taylor's case. James Murdoch subsequently wrote to the committee to deny this. }}

To disallow

to refuse to give or grant something to someone

My father denied me a good education.

* J. Edwards

To some men, it is more agreeable to deny a vicious inclination, than to gratify it.

* {{quote-news

, year=2008 , date=April 12 , author= , title=Mother denied daughter's organs , work=BBC citation , page= , passage=A mother who urgently needs a kidney transplant has branded the system which denied her the organs of her dying daughter as "ridiculous".}}

(sports) To prevent from scoring.

* {{quote-news

, year=2011 , date=November 3 , author=Chris Bevan , title=Rubin Kazan 1 - 0 Tottenham , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=Another Karadeniz cross led to Cudicini's first save of the night, with the Spurs keeper making up for a weak punch by brilliantly pushing away Christian Noboa's snap-shot.
Two more top-class stops followed quickly afterwards, first from Natcho's rasping shot which was heading into the top corner, and then to deny Ryazantsev at his near post.}}

To disclaim connection with, responsibility for, etc.; to refuse to acknowledge; to disown; to abjure; to disavow.

* Bancroft

the falsehood of denying his opinion

* Keble

thou thrice denied , yet thrice beloved

(obsolete) To refuse (to do or accept something).

* Shakespeare

if you deny to dance