humming

American  

[huhm-ing] / ˈhʌm ɪŋ /

adjective

1. making a droning sound; buzzing.

2. very busy; briskly active.

   a humming office.

---

Other Word Forms

• hummingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of humming

First recorded in 1570–80; hum + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Inside a small lab tucked away in the National Botanical Gardens of Wales in Carmarthenshire, humming freezers full of labelled silver packets are the last line of defence to save wild species from extinction.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

That context starts with archival footage of French-colonized Algeria in the 1930s, the visuals speaking to both a humming aura of activity and the reality of who’s indigenous and who’s not.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

But John San Marco, senior research analyst at Neuberger Berman, thinks consumers have “enough in the tank” to power through and keep the economy humming.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

Even amid cataclysmic energy shocks and relentless spates of white-collar layoffs, the American economic engine appears to be humming along smoothly.

From Slate • Apr. 3, 2026

He swallowed me into a bear hug, then settled back in his chair, humming along with the CD still playing in the background, and picked up the laptop to resume his scrolling.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas