hum

verb \ ˈhəm \

|Updated on: 12 Jun 2018

Examples: hum in a Sentence

Definition of hum

hummed; humming

intransitive verb

1 a : to utter a sound like that of the speech sound \m\ prolonged

humming along with the music

b : to make the natural noise of an insect in motion or a similar sound : drone

listening to the bees hum in the garden

c : to give forth a low continuous blend of sound

the sound of children's voices with which the house was always humming
—J. M. Brinnin

2 a : to be busily active

the museum hummed with visitors

b : to run smoothly

the business started to hum

transitive verb

1 : to sing with the lips closed and without uttering speech sounds distinctly

hum a tune

2 : to express by making a vocal sound with the lips pressed together : to affect by humming

hummed his displeasure

—

hum

noun

—

hummable

play \ˈhə-mə-bəl\ adjective

See hum defined for English-language learners

See hum defined for kids

Examples of hum in a Sentence

The garden was humming with bees.
The refrigerator hummed in the background.
I was humming to myself.
We hummed along to the music.
I hummed a little song.
By noon, the office was really humming.
The restaurant hums on weekends.

Recent Examples of hum from the Web

Most of his drawings hum like that restless beehive.

— cate mcquaid, BostonGlobe.com, "A different sort of scan in ‘The Beautiful Brain’," 6 June 2018
The house still hummed with the sound of an air conditioner.

— azcentral, "Dwight Jones used legally owned gun despite previous domestic violence conviction," 5 June 2018
The place hummed—a hive of activity, eagerly grasping for purchase in an undiscovered market.

— eric berger, Ars Technica, "With a simple and cheap rocket, Virgin Orbit aims for the extraordinary," 4 June 2018
In a white industrial building in the rolling hills of the English countryside 16 miles from Oxford, silver machines shaped like spaceships hum inside vast laboratories.

— elizabeth paton, The Seattle Times, "De Beers sees new sparkle in synthetic diamonds to be manufactured in Oregon," 2 June 2018
Background Start to hum and then touch the front of your throat.

— science buddies, Scientific American, "Crash, Clunk, Thump--Let's Make Some Noise!," 19 Apr. 2018
The offense is finally starting to hum as, over the last seven games, the Blazers have averaged 113.9 points, shot 48.5 percent from the field and recorded the seventh best offensive rating (111.2) in the league.

— joe freeman, OregonLive.com, "Portland Trail Blazers at midseason: 'It's been a long 41 games,' but team likes position," 13 Jan. 2018
Since September, an army of more than 150 construction workers has been humming almost around the clock, trying to make the aging needle as sharp as a giant tac again.

— CBS News, "Inside Seattle's Space Needle after its $100 million makeover," 24 May 2018
Before the Carb Day concert, the track hums with activity thanks to the final Indy 500 practice laps and the annual Pit Stop Challenge.

— david lindquist, Indianapolis Star, "This Carb Day concert lineup ain't sexy, but you'll probably go anyway," 23 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hum.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of hum

Middle English hummen; akin to Middle High German hummen to hum, Middle Dutch hommel bumblebee

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

hum Synonyms

Synonyms

bumble, burr, buzz, drone, whir (also whirr), whish, whiz (or whizz), zip, zoom;

Related Words

chirr, churr;

thrum;

fizz, hiss, murmur, purr, rustle, sigh, sizzle, swish, whisper;

coo, curr;

wheeze, whistle, whoosh;

hum

Definition of hum

chiefly British spelling of ³hem , ⁴hem

HUM Defined for English Language Learners

hum

verb

Definition of hum for English Language Learners

: to make a low continuous sound
: to sing the notes of a song while keeping your lips closed
: to be very active or busy

HUM Defined for Kids

hum

verb \ ˈhəm \

Definition of hum for Students

hummed; humming

1 : to utter a sound like a long \m\

2 : to make the buzzing noise of a flying insect

3 : to make musical tones with closed lips

4 : to give forth a low murmur of sounds

The street was humming with activity.

5 : to be very busy or active

The mall hummed with shoppers.

hum

noun

Definition of hum for Students

1 : a low continuous noise

the hum of bees

2 : musical tones voiced without words

Medical Dictionary

hum

noun \ ˈhəm \

medical Definition of hum

: a sound like that made by humming; especially : venous hum

Learn More about hum

See words that rhyme with hum Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for hum Spanish Central: Translation of hum Nglish: Translation of hum for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of hum for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hum

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Definition of hum

hum

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Examples of hum in a Sentence

Recent Examples of hum from the Web

Origin and Etymology of hum

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Synonyms

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hum

Definition of hum

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HUM Defined for English Language Learners

hum

Definition of hum for English Language Learners

HUM Defined for Kids

hum

Definition of hum for Students

hum

Definition of hum for Students

Medical Dictionary

hum

medical Definition of hum

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