hush

[huhsh]

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

/ hʌʃ /

verb

1. to make or become silent; quieten

2. to soothe or be soothed

noun

1. stillness; silence

2. an act of hushing

interjection

1. a plea or demand for silence

hush

²

/ 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

noun

1. a gush of water, esp when artificially produced

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of hush¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of hush¹

C16: probably from earlier husht quiet!, the -t being thought to indicate a past participle

Origin of hush²

C18: of imitative origin

Synonym Study

See still ¹.

Example Sentences

Her question is hushed but desperate, as if she knows that I’m thinking about choosing chaos over the more sensible option.

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Penelope lifted one eyebrow and waited until they hushed.

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Penelope’s temper flared, but she kept her voice hushed, as the children were not far off.

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Penelope spoke in a similarly hushed tone, since it would have felt awkward to answer in any other manner.

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Grimes’ filtered coos and hushed vocals approximate cybernetic birdsong.

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Related Words

• stillness