hum

[ huhm ]

/ hʌm /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hum ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), hummed, hum·ming.

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), hummed, hum·ming.

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

(an inarticulate sound uttered in contemplation, hesitation, dissatisfaction, doubt, etc.)

Nearby words

Origin of hum

1300–50; Middle English; ultimately imitative; cognate with German hummen to hum; cf. humblebee

SYNONYMS FOR hum

5 bustle, buzz.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hum ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsun·der·hum, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hum

There was no shelling this time, but there was the hum of watchful drones.
Gaza ‘Mass Execution’ Investigated|Jesse Rosenfeld|August 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Achtung Baby's ironic astringency was a successful reaction to Rattle and Hum's gauzy sincerity.
U2 Drops ‘Invisible’ to Remind You the Band Exists|Howard Wolfson|February 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Just smile, hum a tune, count backwards from a thousand repeatedly.
Can Being With Your Family on Thanksgiving Actually Kill You?|Kent Sepkowitz|November 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
DE, from the French, means "of" as in "from;" DO, like the deer, is the first tone you hum.
National Scrabble Day: A Poem So You’ll Know All 101 Two-Letter Words|David Bukszpan|April 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST

From the site, one can hear the hum of traffic and see cars passing on the street.
Mary Kennedy: Bringing Up the Body|Paula Froelich|July 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Then he endeavoured to hum a tune; but his voice seemed to choke him.
The Mysteries of London, v. 1/4|George W. M. Reynolds
The motor was started and the machinery began to hum and throb.
Tom Swift and his Wireless Message|Victor Appleton
My mother was fond of 'Mary of Argyle'; used to sing it when I was a lad,—hum, ha!
Hildegarde's Harvest|Laura E. Richards
And in case a hum was heard that sounded like a hive, a certain cry, twice repeated, was to summon all the others to the spot.
The Boy Scouts on the Trail|Herbert Carter
The little party had found seats near the musicians, and from either side came a hum of voices.
Mr. Incoul's Misadventure|Edgar Saltus

British Dictionary definitions for hum

hum

/ (hʌm) /

verb hums, humming or hummed

(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

(intr) informal to be in a state of feverish activity

(intr) British and Irish slang to smell unpleasant

(intr) Australian slang to scrounge

hum and haw See hem 2 (def. 3)

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

Australian slang a scrounger; cadger

British and Irish slang an unpleasant odour

interjection, noun

an indistinct sound of hesitation, embarrassment, etc; hem

Derived Formshummer, noun

Word Origin for hum

C14: of imitative origin; compare Dutch hommelen, Old High German humbal bumblebee

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

Word Origin and History for hum (1 of 2)

hum

late 14c., hommen "make a murmuring sound to cover embarrassment," later hummen "to buzz, drone" (early 15c.), probably of imitative origin. Sense of "sing with closed lips" is first attested late 15c.; that of "be busy and active" is 1884, perhaps on analogy of a beehive. Related: Hummed; humming. Humming-bird (1630s) so called from sound made by the rapid vibration of its wings.

There is a curious bird to see to, called a humming bird, no bigger then a great Beetle. [Thomas Morton, "New English Canaan," 1637]

hum

verb (used without object), hummed, hum·ming.

verb (used with object), hummed, hum·ming.

noun

interjection

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of hum

Examples from the Web for hum

British Dictionary definitions for hum

hum

verb hums, humming or hummed

noun

interjection, noun

Word Origin for hum

Word Origin and History for hum (1 of 2)

hum

Word Origin and History for hum (1 of 2)

hum

Medicine definitions for hum

hum

n.