hum
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to make a low, continuous, droning sound.
-
to give forth an indistinct sound of mingled voices or noises.
-
to utter an indistinct sound in hesitation, embarrassment, dissatisfaction, etc.; hem.
-
to sing with closed lips, without articulating words.
-
to be in a state of busy activity.
The household hummed in preparation for the wedding.
-
British Slang. to have a bad odor, as of stale perspiration.
verb (used with object)
-
to sound, sing, or utter by humming.
to hum a tune.
-
to bring, put, etc., by humming.
to hum a child to sleep.
noun
-
the act or sound of humming; an inarticulate or indistinct murmur; hem.
-
Audio. an unwanted low-frequency sound caused by power-line frequencies in any audio component.
interjection
verb
-
(intr) to make a low continuous vibrating sound like that of a prolonged m
-
(intr) (of a person) to sing with the lips closed
-
(intr) to utter an indistinct sound, as in hesitation; hem
-
informal (intr) to be in a state of feverish activity
-
slang (intr) to smell unpleasant
-
slang (intr) to scrounge
-
See hem 2
noun
-
a low continuous murmuring sound
-
electronics an undesired low-frequency noise in the output of an amplifier or receiver, esp one caused by the power supply
-
slang a scrounger; cadger
-
slang an unpleasant odour
interjection
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
humsimple
-
humssimple
-
have hummedperfect
-
has hummedperfect
-
am hummingprogressive
-
are hummingprogressive
-
is hummingprogressive
-
have been hummingperfect progressive
-
has been hummingperfect progressive
Past
-
hummedsimple
-
had hummedperfect
-
was hummingprogressive
-
were hummingprogressive
-
had been hummingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of hum
1300–50; Middle English; ultimately imitative; cognate with German hummen to hum; cf. humblebee
Explanation
To hum is to make a low, steady, singing sound with your mouth closed. If you don't know the words to a song on the radio, you can just hum along. Other hums are based on the musical hum, making a similar low, constant sound. Bees hum, an electric fan hums, and your car idling quietly also hums. A figurative way to hum is to be busy and loud: "The cafe always seemed to hum with activity." The word hum is imitative (it sounds like the noise it describes), but its earliest form was hommen, in the 1500s, meaning "make a murmuring sound to cover embarrassment."
Vocabulary lists containing hum
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.
Moreover, they are a nuisance in dense urban neighborhoods, afflicting residents with the omnipresent hum of compressors.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026
Few films capture the hum of life in all its maddening beauty quite like this one.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 29, 2026
Past the stalls and the sinks through another door lies plush red velvet, shadows, and the hum of 1950.
From Salon • Jun. 23, 2026
Looking out over the green sludge covered in cleaning equipment, speaking over the hum of the generators and the vacuums and the pumps, Hier smiled.
From Slate • Jun. 19, 2026
Rapunzel, meanwhile, began to hum beneath her breath, her eyes closed.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
