hum

verb \ ˈhəm \

Updated on: 18 Apr 2018

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

The power play has been humming, converting at a 23.4 % clip since Feb. 15.

— alex prewitt, SI.com, "Despite Injuries and Penalties, Blue Jackets Prove Resilient in OT Win Against Capitals," 13 Apr. 2018
What Happened: After weeks of the matter humming in the background, last week was another big one in the ongoing Special Investigation into Potential Russian Collusion.

— graeme mcmillan, WIRED, "While You Were Offline: The Stormy Daniels Front Continues to Roll In," 1 Apr. 2018
The Charlotte Hornets have made a number of front-office promotions, moves intended to keep the business side of the franchise humming even as the performance on the basketball side has been inconsistent.

— katherine peralta, charlotteobserver, "Charlotte Hornets set to announce several front-office changes | Charlotte Observer," 13 Mar. 2018
Its docks and ramps, now bare and icy, will soon hum with recreational boats.

— OregonLive.com, "At Columbia River's doorstep, an uneasy lookout for invasive mussels," 10 Feb. 2018
In some respects, watching dwarf galaxies orbiting their larger hosts is rather like watching bees humming around a hive.

— shannon stirone, Scientific American, "Dancing Dwarf Galaxies Deepen Dark Matter Mystery," 1 Feb. 2018
Minnesota Wild Last week: 9 (-2) Record: 42-24-9 The Wild have cooled off a bit, but are humming along in playoff position.

— jeremy fuchs, SI.com, "Power Rankings: Who Else Joins in on the Postseason Fun?," 26 Mar. 2018
Alpacas sometimes spit when angry, hum when happy, scream when stressed, and orgle—a throaty grunt males make—when in the mood for love.

— john clarke, WSJ, "Dancing Alpacas! Guard Alpacas! Party Alpacas! Breeders Find New Uses After Market Bust," 25 Mar. 2018
Sanders offered a host of policies aimed at raising social spending and curbing income inequality, while Trump suggested building a time machine to an unspecified historical period (probably the 1950s?) when the economy was really humming.

— alex shephard, The New Republic, "Trump’s Economic Trap," 16 Mar. 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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hum

Definition of hum

hum

hummable

Examples of hum in a Sentence

Recent Examples of hum from the Web

Origin and Etymology of hum

hum Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

hum

Definition of hum

Phrases Related to 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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