um

interjection

a prolonged

m 

sound

əm

—used to indicate hesitation

well, um, I don't know

Examples of um in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

How soon must Bell answer the, um, bell? — Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 8 June 2026

This is not a have-to, this is a want-to, um, this is not a financial have-to. — Torie Bosch, STAT, 13 June 2026

The roads are, the one road, there’s only one on the island is, um, super windy and steep. — AFAR Media, 30 May 2026

But, um, perspective please, as in consider the pathway that led to this ultimate stage. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 30 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing um

• no-see-um

Rhymes for um

• bum
• chum
• come
• crum
• cum
• drum
• dum
• dumb
• from
• frum
• glum
• gum

Kids Definition

um

interjection

a prolonged

m 

sound, əm

—used to express hesitation

well, um, I don't know