hum

[huhm]

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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.)

Origin of hum

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

Related formsun·der·hum, noun

Synonyms for hum

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hum ON THESAURUS.COM

5. bustle, buzz.

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

Examples from the Web for hum

Contemporary Examples of hum

There was no shelling this time, but there was the hum of watchful drones.
Gaza ‘Mass Execution’ Investigated
Jesse Rosenfeld
August 5, 2014
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of hum

"Hum," remarked Uncle Peter, in a tone to be noticed for its extreme dryness.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
He heard the hum and clang of an electric car off through a chestnut grove.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
I don't quite think myself a lady-killer: by George, my—hum!
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
The Sunday landscape was very still, save for the hum of busy insect life.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
The bystanders did, and a hum of curiosity circled round; who could they be?
Night and Morning, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton

British Dictionary definitions for hum

hum

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

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]

mid-15c., from hum (v.).

Medicine definitions for hum

hum

[hŭm]

n.

A low, continuous murmur blended of many sounds.

hum

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

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

noun

interjection

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Origin of hum

Synonyms for hum

Examples from the Web for hum

Contemporary Examples of hum

Historical Examples of hum

hum

verb hums, humming or hummed

noun

interjection, noun

Word Origin for hum

hum

n.