Synonyms

shush

American

[shuhsh, shoosh] / ʃʌʃ, ʃʊʃ /

interjection

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

verb (used with object)

to order (someone or something) to be silent; hush.

shush British

/ ʃʊʃ /

interjection

be quiet! hush!

"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

verb

to silence or calm (someone) by or as if by saying "shush"

"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

Other Word Forms

shusher noun

Etymology

Origin of shush

First recorded in 1920–25; imitative

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.

Some of the girls started to join in, but the baroness shushed them.

From Literature

At the word “snacks,” the Incorrigibles began to fidget, but Madame Ionesco shushed everyone with a finger.

From Literature

Mike gathers himself, shushes the woman for waking him and then collects his belongings to begin a day of panhandling.

From Los Angeles Times

He marked the strike with both a talking and shushing gesture celebration.

From BBC

At one point, it appeared he told someone in the room to "shush" their mouth.

From BBC

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