hum

[ huhm ]

/ hʌm /

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See synonyms for: hum / hummed / humming 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.)

OTHER WORDS FOR hum

5 bustle, buzz.

See synonyms for hum on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of hum

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

OTHER WORDS FROM hum

un·der·hum, noun

Words nearby hum

hullo, hulloa, hully gully, Hulme, Hulse, hum, Humacao, human, human being, human body, human capital

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hum in a sentence

What once seemed so rare and arcane has now become a sad hum in the background — the contrails of an administration that the country may take a generation to shake.
Ghosts of our unsettled past|Robin Givhan|January 26, 2021|Washington Post
Over the past four years, there has been a constant, low-level hum of rumors about the status of Apple’s automotive ambitions, with a major partnership announcement always supposedly just months or weeks away.
Is Apple teaming up with Hyundai on a self-driving, electric car? Don’t bet on it|Jeremy Kahn|January 8, 2021|Fortune
Think about the general din of being inside an airplane or hum of an air conditioning unit, with active noise cancellation all that disappears.
Best wireless headphones: Five things to consider|Carsen Joenk|November 25, 2020|Popular-Science
Those in charge of maintenance should have their tasks made easier by Health and Usage Monitoring Systems, or HUMS.
France’s new military trucks can form a convoy with just one driver|Christina Mackenzie|October 19, 2020|Popular-Science

The hum is generated by the rapid jitters of particles that make up the hot object.
A new thermometer measures temperature with sound|Maria Temming|October 2, 2020|Science News
There was Carol White, a ho-hum homemaker who finds herself besieged by multiple chemical sensitivity in Safe.
Julianne Moore Is Oscar Gold in ‘Still Alice’|Marlow Stern|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Lily Allen explained away the poor sales and ho-hum critical reception to Sheezus by…basically blaming other people.
The Biggest Bombs of 2014: ‘Sex Tape,’ Mariah Carey’s Vocals, ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and More|Kevin Fallon|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His New York accent slices through the incessant hum of voices.
The Holy Grail of Comic Books Hid in Plain Site at New York Comic Con|Sujay Kumar|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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
The summer of music may have started with a ho-hum and largely stayed there.
Can Jessie J’s ‘Bang Bang’ Save Us From This Awful Musical Summer?|Kevin Fallon|July 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The hum of earnest or glad voices here contrasted strongly with silence and meditation there.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
The girl began to hum, as she powdered her nose with a white glove, lying in a powder box.
Rosemary in Search of a Father|C. N. Williamson
She fell to her task again, only now she began to hum softly, thus shutting me off entirely.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
In a moment Skipper Worse was wide awake, and began to hum, as she moved her fingers along the lines.
Skipper Worse|Alexander Lange Kielland
Matt listened to the steady hum of the Comet's twin cylinders with an exultation he could not conceal.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews

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 forms of hum

hummer, 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