shush
Americaninterjection
verb (used with object)
interjection
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of shush
First recorded in 1920–25; imitative
Explanation
To shush is to urge someone else to be quiet. If you burst out laughing in the library, the librarian will almost certainly come over and shush you. A babysitter will shush a rowdy kid whose younger sibling is taking a nap, a teacher will shush a chattering class when they're supposed to be focused on their work, and a train conductor might shush you if you're talking on your mobile phone in the quiet car. This imitative word sounds just like the sound you make when you implore another person to quiet down. You can even use it as a command: "Shush! I can't hear the TV!"
Vocabulary lists containing shush
myPerspectives 6.1
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Compound Fracture
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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.
US President Joe Biden told a climate heckler to "shush up" after they interrupted a speech he was giving in Arizona.
From BBC • Sep. 29, 2023
When Newkirk continued, Mr. Biden responded: “I’ll tell you what, if you shush up, I’ll meet with you immediately after this, OK?”
From Washington Times • Sep. 29, 2023
He has to repeatedly shush the crowd during his remarks.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2023
It was a departure from Miller’s move, which was simply to shush the Irish fans.
From Washington Post • Dec. 8, 2022
“It’s just lying, Todd,” she says, trying to shush me again with her hands.
From "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness
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.
