hum

verb

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\ ˈhəm

hummed; humming

Definition of hum

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1a : 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

2a : 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

Definition of hum (Entry 2 of 2)

chiefly British spelling of hem entry 3 , hem entry 4

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Examples of hum in a Sentence

Verb 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 on the Web: Verb Goalie Philipp Grubauer even got involved in the offense, earning an assist to go along with 31 saves for his fifth shutout of the season in a slightly busier game after a ho-hum 19 stops Thursday night. — Sarah Mclellan, Star Tribune, "From bad to worse: Wild struggles again in shutout loss to Colorado," 20 Mar. 2021 Awkwafina’s high-on-nitrous riffing; what might seem ho-hum or borderline annoying on its own turns into a nice push-pull double act. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, "‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ is Disney Princess Empowerment as Pan-Asian Pop Mash-Up," 4 Mar. 2021 But, as vaccines proliferate and the consumer begins to spend down the trillions of dollars of excess savings, the economy and this new bull market are likely to hum along. — Nancy Tengler, USA TODAY, "Volatility is not a bubble: Here's why the stock market will likely continue to be bullish," 24 Feb. 2021 The brick entrance and glass block windows make the place look buttoned up, ho-hum, nothing to stop someone from flipping past it in a real estate database. — oregonlive, "In Portland’s competitive market, compelling backstories help sell houses," 24 Feb. 2021 On its own merits, the pork was tasty, with light smoky ribbons of meat that stayed moist, but not even a heavy application of sweet sauce could raise this beyond merely ho-hum. — Chuck Blount, San Antonio Express-News, "Schertz's Purple Pig BBQ excels at Midwest barbecue's rib tips and is heavy on the sauce," 19 Feb. 2021 While every bit of our homes has gotten more usage during the past year in quarantine, never before have our humble sinks seemed quite so ho-hum. — Kelsey Keith, ELLE Decor, "Why Powder Rooms Are the Best Place in the House to Take Decorating Risks," 17 Feb. 2021 Despite perennial complaints about the Bay Area—its high costs and taxes, its social problems—that engine continues to hum along nicely. — Gregory Barber, Wired, "If Work Is Going Remote, Why Is Big Tech Still Building?," 16 Feb. 2021 By comparison, Biden’s approval is ho-hum compared to former Presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama, said the polling data. — Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner, "Slow start: Biden’s opening approval below Trump and Obama, just 48%," 22 Jan. 2021

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.