Hughes

American  

[hyooz, yooz] / hyuz, yuz /

noun

1. Charles Evans, 1862–1948, U.S. jurist and statesman: chief justice of the U.S. 1930–41.

2. Howard (Robard) 1905–76, U.S. businessman, motion-picture producer, and aviator.

3. (John) Langston 1902–67, U.S. novelist and poet.

4. Rupert, 1872–1956, U.S. novelist and biographer.

5. Ted, 1930–1998, English poet: poet laureate 1984–98 (husband of Sylvia Plath).

6. Thomas, 1822–96, English novelist, reformer, and jurist.

7. William Morris, 1864–1952, Australian statesman, born in Wales: prime minister 1915–23.

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Hughes British  

/ hjuːz /

noun

1. Howard. 1905–76, US industrialist, aviator, and film producer. He became a total recluse during the last years of his life

2. ( James Mercer ) Langston. 1902–67, US Black poet and writer. His collections include The Weary Blues (1926) and The Panther and the Lash (1967)

3. Richard ( Arthur Warren ). 1900–76, British novelist. He wrote A High Wind in Jamaica (1929), In Hazard (1938), and The Fox in the Attic (1961)

4. Robert ( Studley Forrest ). 1938–2012, Australian art critic, writer, and broadcaster; his work includes the television series The Shock of the New (1981) and the book The Culture of Complaint (1993)

5. Ted, full name Edward James Hughes. 1930–98, British poet: his works include The Hawk in the Rain (1957), Crow (1970), and Birthday Letters (1998). Poet laureate (1984–98)

6. Thomas. 1822–96, British novelist; author of Tom Brown's Schooldays (1857)

7. William Morris. 1864–1952, Australian statesman, born in England: prime minister of Australia (1915–23)

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Etymology

Origin of Hughes

From Old North French Hugues, Old French Hue, variant of Old French Hugo, a shortened form of Germanic given names beginning with hug- “mind, heart, spirit, soul” ( Old English hyge ). The spelling Hugh is from the Picard variant Hughes , the -gh- equivalent to French -gu-, used to express the “hard -g ” (as in “gun,” as opposed to the “soft -g ” (as in “gin” or “mirage”). The modern English pronunciation, rhyming with “cue,” is influenced by the Norman variant form Hue, now used only as a surname, mostly n Normandy

Example Sentences

A picture posted online that year shows Moolenaar hosting Ohio Christian University students at C Street, along with Donna Rice Hughes.

From Salon • May 29, 2026

Baker Hughes dominates the liquefied-natural-gas equipment market, which has seen fewer disruptions from the conflict in the Middle East.

From Barron's • May 28, 2026

"In more than two-thirds of our decisions about hate speech, we found that platforms failed to enforce their own policies and left up hateful content," chief executive Thomas Hughes said.

From BBC • May 28, 2026

Hughes fired his coach in February 2022 and decided that if he wanted different results, he had to do something wildly different.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

I’m thinking so much about Langston Hughes, I get to my apartment before I know it.

From "Finding Langston" by Lesa Cline-Ransome