# hum

Pronunciation: say "HUM" /ˈhʌm/

## Verb

1. To make a wordless musical sound with the vocal cords while keeping the lips closed.
   - Simple: To make a soft musical sound with your lips closed, without singing words.
   - _I hum along whenever that old song comes on the radio._
   - _The toddler hummed quietly until she fell asleep._
4. To make a low, continuous droning sound, like the noise flying insects make in motion.
   - Simple: To make a low, steady buzzing sound like a flying insect.
   - _Mosquitoes hum near your ear just as you're falling asleep._
   - _The old machine hummed steadily in the corner of the workshop._
6. To produce low sounds that blend together in a continuous stream.
   - Simple: To make low sounds that flow together without stopping.
   - _Generators hum through the night at the construction site._
   - _The city's traffic hummed in the distance as dusk fell._
7. To convey a tune or feeling by humming rather than speaking or singing it.
   - Simple: To make a tune or message known by humming it.
   - _She hummed a few bars of the melody to remind us._
   - _Drivers often hum tunes to stay alert on long trips._
9. To be busily active and full of energy, like a buzzing beehive.
   - Simple: To be full of busy, lively activity, like a beehive.
   - _Trading floors hum with activity the moment the market opens._
   - _The fairgrounds hummed with life all weekend long._
15. To reek; to give off a strong, unpleasant smell. *(slang, British)*
   - Simple: To give off a strong, bad smell.
   - _The kitchen bins hum in this heat._
   - _His gym bag was beginning to hum by Friday._

## Noun

2. A faint, often unclear sound that resembles a person humming.
   - Simple: A low, steady sound that is hard to make out clearly.
   - _A steady hum filled the room from the overhead lights._
   - _The hum of distant traffic drifted through the open window._
5. A tune produced with the lips closed rather than sung with words.
   - Simple: A tune that someone makes with their lips closed instead of singing words.
   - _A cheerful hum escaped her as she stirred the soup._
   - _He recognized the tune from just a few notes of her hum._
8. Lively, busy activity in a place, resembling the buzz of a beehive.
   - Simple: Lots of lively, busy activity in a place, like a busy beehive.
   - _The office had a constant hum of activity before the deadline._
   - _A cheerful hum filled the kitchen as the family prepared dinner._
11. A phenomenon in which many people report a persistent, invasive low-frequency droning or rumbling that is not audible to everyone.
   - Simple: A low droning sound that some people hear all the time, even though others cannot hear it at all.
   - _Several neighborhoods reported the same nocturnal hum, yet half the residents heard nothing._
   - _Officials launched a study after dozens of complaints about a low, droning hum._
14. An unpleasant smell given off by something or someone. *(slang, UK)*
   - Simple: A bad smell coming from something or someone.
   - _There was a terrible hum coming from the back of the fridge._
   - _The changing room had a real hum after the match._
17. An edible cockle known as the blood cockle or ark clam, served as food. *(colloquial, Malaysia, Singapore)*
   - Simple: A kind of small shellfish with reddish flesh, eaten as food and called blood cockles.
   - _The hawker served steaming hum with a spicy dip._
   - _Fresh hum is best eaten lightly cooked so the flesh stays tender._

## Interjection

3. A sound used to show that the speaker is thinking over or considering something.
   - Simple: A sound you make to show you are thinking something over.
   - _Hum, I hadn't considered that possibility before now._
   - _Hum, perhaps we should look at the figures again._
10. A sound used to signal doubt, hesitation, or uncertainty.
   - Simple: A sound people make when they feel unsure or need a moment to think.
   - _Hum, I suppose we could try it your way, though I have my doubts._
   - _When asked for a decision, all he managed was a noncommittal hum._

## Noun

12. A hoax or fraudulent imposition practiced on someone; a piece of humbug. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A trick or lie meant to fool someone.
   - _He dismissed the advertisement as a clever hum designed to part fools from their money._
   - _The promised inheritance proved to be nothing but a hum._
16. A kind of strong drink, especially a potent intoxicating liquor. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A strong alcoholic drink.
   - _The sailors called for another round of hum before the storm hit._
   - _A mug of strong hum sat steaming on the tavern table._

## Verb

13. To cajole or flatter someone in order to deceive or impose upon them. *(dated, UK)*
   - Simple: To trick or sweet-talk someone into believing something false.
   - _He tried to hum the old woman into signing the contract._
   - _They hummed the new clerk with false praise until he handed over the keys._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–16** — From Middle English hummen ("to hum, buzz, drone"), related to Dutch hommelen ("to bumble, buzz") and Middle High German hummen ("to hum"). It is probably ultimately of imitative origin.
**Meaning 17** — Borrowed from Hokkien 蚶 (ham).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/hum (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).