um
or umm
[uhm, uhn, uh m, uh n]
- (used as an expression of doubt, hesitation, deliberation, interest, etc.)
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for umm
Contemporary Examples
Umm…to me, pop music is more of a science term than an aesthetic.
Umm, I think it is very hard to see how Mike Pence can achieve 51 percent of the vote.
“Umm…they maintain themselves,” she responded when asked whether or not they were threaded, plucked, or waxed.
Donald Sterling’s Former Mistress Makes the “Paparazzi Shield” Chic; Cara Delevingne Has Self-Grooming EyebrowsThe Fashion Beast Team
May 5, 2014
The skit for presenting the “Best Kiss” award was, umm, cringe-worthy.
“Umm…I read some of it,” he said, of the Austrian novelist Stefan Zweig, whom Anderson cites as an inspiration for the movie.
The Cast of ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ Says Wes Anderson Is a Genius HardassNico Hines
February 16, 2014
Historical Examples
Tradition says that Umm Salama often nursed Ḥasan in his infancy.
"Umm, that's right, Dick was a code-specialist," Hanlon nodded.
Man of Many MindsE. Everett Evans
Erskine read 'umm, meaning that Ahl could neither read nor write; de Courteille that he was un homme du commun.
The Bbur-nma in EnglishBabur, Emperor of Hindustan
Anthropologically interesting as are the results of the excavations at Umm el-Gra'ab, they are no less historically important.
History Of Egypt, Chalda, Syria, Babylonia, And Assyria In The Light Of Recent DiscoveryL.W. King and H.R. Hall
“Umm,” murmured Wiley, and examined each sample with a careful, appraising eye.
Shadow MountainDane Coolidge
um1
- a representation of a common sound made when hesitating in speech
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um2
- US Minor Outlying Islands
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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
Word Origin and History for umm
um
a sound denoting hesitation, 1670s.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper