hum

HUM/ˈhʌm/

Noun pluralhums

17 meanings of hum

1
verbintransitive
To make a soft musical sound with your lips closed, without singing words.
Like singing, but with your mouth closed and no words.
She likes to hum while she washes the dishes.
He was humming softly to himself on the bus.
Note
2
nouncountable
A low, steady sound that is hard to make out clearly.
Like the quiet sound a fridge makes.
A low hum came from the old refrigerator.
We could hear a faint hum behind the wall.
Similardrone, buzz, murmur, whir, thrum
Note
3
interjection
A sound you make to show you are thinking something over.
Like the sound you make when you stop to think about something.
Hum, both plans seem to have their merits.
She tilted her head and said, 'Hum, let me think.'
Similarhmm
Note
4
verbintransitive
To make a low, steady buzzing sound like a flying insect.
Like the sound a bee makes when it flies past you.
Bees hum as they move from flower to flower.
The fan hummed all through the hot afternoon.
Similarbuzz, drone, whir, whine, purr
Note
5
nouncountable
A tune that someone makes with their lips closed instead of singing words.
Like a song without words, made with your mouth closed.
She gave a happy little hum as she walked home.
His quiet hum turned into a real song.
Note
6
verbintransitive
To make low sounds that flow together without stopping.
Like the steady sound of many machines running at once.
The engines hum steadily as the plane climbs.
Power lines hummed above the quiet field.
Similardrone, rumble, murmur, purr, whir
7
verbtransitive
To make a tune or message known by humming it.
Like telling someone a tune by humming it instead of using words.
She hummed a soft lullaby to the baby.
He likes to hum his favorite songs while cooking.
8
nouncountable
Lots of lively, busy activity in a place, like a busy beehive.
Like a beehive where everyone is busy at once.
The market had a busy hum on Saturday morning.
You could feel the hum of the festival from blocks away.
Similarbuzz, bustle
9
verbintransitive
To be full of busy, lively activity, like a beehive.
Like a beehive buzzing with bees that never stop moving.
The streets hum with shoppers during the holidays.
The whole office hummed with excitement before the show.
Similarbuzz, bustle, teem, throb, pulse
Note
10
interjection
A sound people make when they feel unsure or need a moment to think.
Like the little pause you fill with a sound before you give an answer.
Hum, I'm really not sure that's the right answer.
Should we turn left or right? Hum, let me think for a second.
Similarum
Note

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1–16

From Middle English hummen, meaning to hum or buzz. It probably came from imitating the sound itself.

Meaning 17

Borrowed from the Hokkien word 蚶 (ham).