hush-hush
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of hush-hush
First recorded in 1915–20; reduplication based on hush
Vocabulary lists containing hush-hush
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.
The airline has been hush-hush about its plans, but has secured airport space in Honolulu and Nashville, according to planning documents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
The hush-hush raves that require knowing someone and slinking into condemned warehouses have always happened alongside parties thrown by big-name promoters.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
“It was the kind of hush-hush tones in people, I knew something wasn’t right.”
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2025
Why do you think menopause has been a hush-hush topic in the past, and why is it so important that open conversations about it continue?
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2025
Over the years, humans have endangered bandapats by trapping them and locking them in hush-hush science labs.
From "Invisible Inkling" by Emily Jenkins
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.
