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Synonyms

hush

American  
[huhsh] / hʌʃ /

interjection

  1. (used as a command to be silent or quiet.)

verb (used without object)

  1. to become or be silent or quiet.

    They hushed as the judge walked in.

verb (used with object)

  1. to make silent; silence.

  2. to suppress mention of; keep concealed (often followed byup ).

    They hushed up the scandal.

  3. to calm, quiet, or allay.

    to hush someone's fears.

noun

  1. silence or quiet, especially after noise.

    Synonyms:
    tranquility, stillness, peace

  2. Phonetics. either of the sibilant sounds (sh) and (zh).

adjective

  1. Archaic. silent; quiet.

hush 1 British  
/ hʌʃ /

verb

  1. to make or become silent; quieten

  2. to soothe or be soothed

"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

noun

  1. stillness; silence

  2. an act of hushing

"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

interjection

  1. a plea or demand for silence

"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
hush 2 British  
/ hʌʃ /

verb

  1. to run water over the ground to erode (surface soil), revealing the underlying strata and any valuable minerals present

  2. to wash (an ore) by removing particles of earth with rushing water

"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

noun

  1. a gush of water, esp when artificially produced

"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

Related Words

See still 1.

Other Word Forms

  • hushed adjective
  • hushedly adverb
  • hushful adjective
  • hushfully adverb
  • unhushing adjective

Etymology

Origin of hush

1350–1400; apparently back formation from husht whist 2 ( Middle English huissht ), the -t being taken for past participle suffix

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Hellerstein has also tangled with Donald Trump, rejecting a request by the US president to have his New York hush money case moved to federal court.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

Amanda is enraptured with its aspirational luxury: “The house had that hush expensive houses do. Silence meant the house was plumb, solid, its organs working in happy harmony.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

Those familiar with Crosstrek over the years should be equally surprised by the hush and pliant ride of today’s model.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 26, 2025

"When the hammer fell, there was a hush — then applause."

From BBC • Nov. 23, 2025

Macon was right next to him with a platter of fish, more hush puppies, and cups of sweet tea and lemonade.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.