hum
to make a low, continuous, droning sound.
to give forth an indistinct sound of mingled voices or noises.
to utter an indistinct sound in hesitation, embarrassment, dissatisfaction, etc.; hem.
to sing with closed lips, without articulating words.
to be in a state of busy activity: The household hummed in preparation for the wedding.
British Slang. to have a bad odor, as of stale perspiration.
to sound, sing, or utter by humming: to hum a tune.
to bring, put, etc., by humming: to hum a child to sleep.
the act or sound of humming; an inarticulate or indistinct murmur; hem.
Audio. an unwanted low-frequency sound caused by power-line frequencies in any audio component.
(an inarticulate sound uttered in contemplation, hesitation, dissatisfaction, doubt, etc.)
Origin of hum
1Other words for hum
Other words from hum
- un·der·hum, noun
Words Nearby hum
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use hum in a sentence
What once seemed so rare and arcane has now become a sad hum in the background — the contrails of an administration that the country may take a generation to shake.
Over the past four years, there has been a constant, low-level hum of rumors about the status of Apple’s automotive ambitions, with a major partnership announcement always supposedly just months or weeks away.
Is Apple teaming up with Hyundai on a self-driving, electric car? Don’t bet on it | Jeremy Kahn | January 8, 2021 | FortuneThink about the general din of being inside an airplane or hum of an air conditioning unit, with active noise cancellation all that disappears.
Best wireless headphones: Five things to consider | Carsen Joenk | November 25, 2020 | Popular-ScienceThose in charge of maintenance should have their tasks made easier by Health and Usage Monitoring Systems, or HUMS.
France’s new military trucks can form a convoy with just one driver | Christina Mackenzie | October 19, 2020 | Popular-ScienceThe hum is generated by the rapid jitters of particles that make up the hot object.
There was Carol White, a ho-hum homemaker who finds herself besieged by multiple chemical sensitivity in Safe.
Lily Allen explained away the poor sales and ho-hum critical reception to Sheezus by…basically blaming other people.
The Biggest Bombs of 2014: ‘Sex Tape,’ Mariah Carey’s Vocals, ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and More | Kevin Fallon | December 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHis New York accent slices through the incessant hum of voices.
The Holy Grail of Comic Books Hid in Plain Site at New York Comic Con | Sujay Kumar | October 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThere was no shelling this time, but there was the hum of watchful drones.
The summer of music may have started with a ho-hum and largely stayed there.
Can Jessie J’s ‘Bang Bang’ Save Us From This Awful Musical Summer? | Kevin Fallon | July 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe hum of earnest or glad voices here contrasted strongly with silence and meditation there.
Glances at Europe | Horace GreeleyThe girl began to hum, as she powdered her nose with a white glove, lying in a powder box.
Rosemary in Search of a Father | C. N. WilliamsonShe fell to her task again, only now she began to hum softly, thus shutting me off entirely.
The Soldier of the Valley | Nelson LloydIn a moment Skipper Worse was wide awake, and began to hum, as she moved her fingers along the lines.
Skipper Worse | Alexander Lange KiellandMatt listened to the steady hum of the Comet's twin cylinders with an exultation he could not conceal.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run | Stanley R. Matthews
British Dictionary definitions for hum
/ (hʌm) /
(intr) to make a low continuous vibrating sound like that of a prolonged m
(intr) (of a person) to sing with the lips closed
(intr) to utter an indistinct sound, as in hesitation; hem
(intr) informal to be in a state of feverish activity
(intr) British and Irish slang to smell unpleasant
(intr) Australian slang to scrounge
hum and haw See hem 2 (def. 3)
a low continuous murmuring sound
electronics an undesired low-frequency noise in the output of an amplifier or receiver, esp one caused by the power supply
Australian slang a scrounger; cadger
British and Irish slang an unpleasant odour
an indistinct sound of hesitation, embarrassment, etc; hem
Origin of hum
1Derived forms of hum
- hummer, noun
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
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