hum
[huhm]
- 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.
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- to sound, sing, or utter by humming: to hum a tune.
- to bring, put, etc., by humming: to hum a child to sleep.
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- 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.
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- (an inarticulate sound uttered in contemplation, hesitation, dissatisfaction, doubt, etc.)
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Origin of hum
Synonyms
See more synonyms for hum on Thesaurus.com5. bustle, buzz.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for hum
Contemporary Examples
There was no shelling this time, but there was the hum of watchful drones.
Achtung Baby's ironic astringency was a successful reaction to Rattle and Hum's gauzy sincerity.
Just smile, hum a tune, count backwards from a thousand repeatedly.
DE, from the French, means "of" as in "from;" DO, like the deer, is the first tone you hum.
From the site, one can hear the hum of traffic and see cars passing on the street.
Historical Examples
"Hum," remarked Uncle Peter, in a tone to be noticed for its extreme dryness.
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
He heard the hum and clang of an electric car off through a chestnut grove.
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
I don't quite think myself a lady-killer: by George, my—hum!
Weighed and WantingGeorge MacDonald
The Sunday landscape was very still, save for the hum of busy insect life.
KMary Roberts Rinehart
The bystanders did, and a hum of curiosity circled round; who could they be?
Night and Morning, CompleteEdward Bulwer-Lytton
hum
- (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)
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- 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
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- an indistinct sound of hesitation, embarrassment, etc; hem
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Word Origin
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
v.
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]
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n.
mid-15c., from hum (v.).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
hum
(hŭm)- A low, continuous murmur blended of many sounds.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.