mum
1silent; not saying a word: to keep mum.
(used to demand immediate silence.)
Idioms about mum
mum's the word, do not reveal what you know (about something); keep silent: Mum's the word, or the surprise party won't be a surprise.
Origin of mum
1Other definitions for mum (2 of 6)
or mumm
Origin of mum
2Other definitions for mum (3 of 6)
Origin of mum
3Other definitions for mum (4 of 6)
Origin of mum
4Other definitions for mum (5 of 6)
a strong beer or ale, first made in Brunswick, Germany.
Origin of mum
5How to use mum in a sentence
Wee Róisín Murphy has no idea her sister is actually her mum.
If I didn’t have my brothers doing what they do for me, and my mum doing what she does for me, it wouldn’t feel normal.
After growing up poor, a Premier League star corners U.K. into feeding its hungry | Amos Barshad | November 30, 2020 | Washington PostThe enterprising lady followed the mumming company through the gate in the white paling, and stood before the open porch.
Return of the Native | Thomas HardyThe Fool (Motley: with a bauble long enough to put over his shoulder and be held by the one behind in the mumming circle).
The Peace Egg and Other tales | Juliana Horatia EwingEnglish Wat, attend me alone, and the rest of you end your revelry, and doff your mumming habits.
The Fair Maid of Perth | Sir Walter Scott
Now we had planned at home that we would use only P-speech while mumming, for then no one would know us.
What Happened to Inger Johanne | Dikken ZwilgmeyerThe same bribe they repeat at Christmas to stay the boys from going round mumming.
Field and Hedgerow | Richard Jefferies
British Dictionary definitions for mum (1 of 4)
/ (mʌm) /
mainly British an informal word for mother 1
Origin of mum
1British Dictionary definitions for mum (2 of 4)
/ (mʌm) /
keeping information to oneself; silent
mum's the word silence or secrecy is to be observed
Origin of mum
2British Dictionary definitions for mum (3 of 4)
mumm
/ (mʌm) /
(intr) to act in a mummer's play
Origin of mum
3British Dictionary definitions for mum (4 of 4)
/ (mʌm) /
British obsolete a type of beer made from cereals, beans, etc
Origin of mum
4Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Browse