hmm

British

/ mm /

interjection

a sound made when considering or puzzling over something

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Kate Mansey, an assistant editor at The Times, was more circumspect: "I'm not quite sure what to say about this one, except, hmm..."

From BBC • May 22, 2024

We dug right in and said, "hmm ..." pretty much right away.

From Salon • Feb. 21, 2024

But which sedimentary rock is that metamorphic rock derived from, hmm?

From Slate • Jan. 12, 2024

In Mozambique, Yao honey-hunters do so with a trilled "Brr! ..." followed by a guttural " ... hmm!"

From Science Daily • Dec. 7, 2023

“A camp, hmm, a camp. A potato farm. You?”

From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023