hum

verb

\ 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

The Agnes Scott students correctly hummed the themes of five works of classical music, then Princeton answered a question on geology. — Matt Schudel, Washington Post, "Robert Earle, host of popular TV quiz show ‘General Electric College Bowl,’ dies at 93," 9 June 2019 Inside, the 120-year-old house is humming as diners enjoy chicken salad, spinach quiche, strawberry crepes, hormone-free burgers and the café's famous tomato pie. — Bob Carlton | Bcarlton@al.com, al.com, "The story behind Mentone’s Wildflower Cafe and the woman who keeps it funky," 7 June 2019 The economy was humming, but job growth was choppy, and wage gains anemic. — John D. Stoll, WSJ, "Factories Tire of Wage Wars; Give Fridays Off, Spiff Up Bathrooms," 10 May 2019 During the summer, box fans hummed in all the windows. — Jesmyn Ward, The Atlantic, "How Poverty and Racism Persist in Mississippi," 1 Mar. 2018 Suddenly, with everything in position, the arc strengthened and held steady, humming like a power line. — Kevin Dupzyk, Popular Mechanics, "How I Learned To Build With Metal," 24 May 2019 Employers have added an average of 169,000 jobs a month over the past three months, a sign the economy’s job engine is humming nicely after fears of... — Nick Timiraos, WSJ, "April Jobs Report Won’t Alter Federal Reserve’s Wait-and-See Approach," 3 May 2019 For instance, Kourtney Kardashian has endorsed bee-venom skin products, and tabloids have hummed over reports that Kate Middleton, Victoria Beckham, and others use bee-venom facials and other products. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Woman dies from bee-sting therapy that Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow promote," 21 Mar. 2018 Mia Moretti, who came out for the preview, could be seen humming with dedication into this mic. — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, "Designer Nili Lotan Hosts a Preview of the Exhibition “Leonard Cohen: A Crack in Everything”," 11 Apr. 2019

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.