as in purr
a monotonous sound like that of an insect in motion
we heard the hum of an outboard motor and a few minutes later the small craft came into sight
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hum
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
20 June 2026
Inverter ACs are quieter overall but can be known for having a subtle but higher-pitched hum that is bothersome to some.
—
Timothy Dale,
The Spruce,
18 June 2026
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
23 June 2026
There is something to be said about coaches who take over for successful predecessors and keep the thing humming, because that doesn't always tend to be the case.
—
Austin Perry Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
20 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for hum
Noun
There were different versions of the hum because the final sound wasn’t designed until much later.
—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
20 June 2026
Inverter ACs are quieter overall but can be known for having a subtle but higher-pitched hum that is bothersome to some.
—
Timothy Dale,
The Spruce,
18 June 2026
Verb
As traditional fundraising gets harder, the flood of money available in insurance — Athene had $83 billion of inflows last year, 57% of the money Apollo raised across all its strategies — is keeping deal machines humming.
—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
23 June 2026
There is something to be said about coaches who take over for successful predecessors and keep the thing humming, because that doesn't always tend to be the case.
—
Austin Perry Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
20 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for hum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hum
Noun
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Wafting odors of 100-octane gasoline and rumbling purrs of V8 engines punched through the overcast morning at Sonoma Raceway on Saturday as the Velocity Invitational car meet entered its second day.
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That detail has led researchers to wonder whether the purr is partly a self-healing mechanism, a body soothing itself from the inside out.
Verb
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Without a care about the mud or the impending return to reality, the crowd relished the final moments of the festival as fireworks burst over the stage.
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In two places outside Berlin, the concrete of the A2 burst due to the high temperatures and the highway had to be closed.
Verb
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Mosquitos buzz in, emerging from eggs laid in stagnant water across the region.
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London draws more than 30 million visitors annually, and along with its buzzing energy and endless opportunities comes one of the world’s most exciting food scenes.
Noun
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Theories, speculation and whispers were hard to ignore, but even harder to prove.
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The whispers about the 41-year-old turned louder.
Verb
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Schoenaerts menacingly grins his way through the movie, with appealingly bulging eyes.
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Tiny bulging eyes form long before the animal resembles a shark at all and its future face exists only as clusters of migrating cells, slowly organizing themselves into the structures that will eventually become jaws, cartilage and sensory organs.
Verb
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Adams likened the conditions on the boat to having a bunch of teenagers — with no seatbelts or airbags — in the back of a pick-up truck and zipping down an unpaved road.
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There were also moments of real quality when Cape Verde recovered possession, zipping the ball around the Spanish pressure and often looking to play their way out with short passes into midfield.
Noun
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All were filled with Chenier’s murmuring accordion, the rustle of a washboard player and slinky grooves.
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In a distant forest, the monument to his reckless fretwork rustles in the treetops and hums with beehives like the watts in a worn, weary amp burning, crackling for release.
Verb
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Inside, fans are whirring and a woman behind the cash register speaks on the phone in Korean.
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The machine whirs to life, the smell of hot plastic slowly seeping into the air.
Cite this Entry
“Hum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hum. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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