hum

1 of 2

verb

ˈhəm 

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

ˈhə-mə-bəl 

adjective

hum

2 of 2

chiefly British spelling of hem entry 3, hem entry 4

Synonyms

Verb

• abound
• brim
• bristle
• bulge
• burst
• bustle
• buzz
• crawl
• overflow
• pullulate
• swarm
• teem

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

Before the virus outbreak in 2020, the office market in the region was humming due to a robust appetite on the part of tech companies to find office spaces and property sites for their expansion. —George Avalos, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024

Hurrell hummed and jumped up and down, to no avail. —Angelica Aboulhosn, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024

And the economy continues to hum, with the recession forecasts that dominated last year well in the rearview mirror. —Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 18 Mar. 2024

Each delicious bite, humming with the gentle flavor of heirloom Texas corn, is at once familiar and entirely unexpected. —The Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors, Bon Appétit, 13 Mar. 2024

Now, with the system more or less humming — and the advent of more technologically advanced train fleets that were introduced this century — most cars travel more than 140,000 miles between failures. —David Waldstein, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024

About 25 cooks and dishwashers are in the kitchen during each shift, and at 8 in the morning the space already hummed with the sound of staff members’ scrubbing down surfaces with soapy water. —Marcela Valdes. Photographs and Videos By Peden + Munk, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024

Its economy is humming, growing at a faster rate than the nation’s economy overall. —Ulrich Boser, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024

Recommended Compassion Why Spain is trusting trans teens on their gender, rather than restricting them As dusk approached at the training center, insects hummed in the background and Ms. Sonko prepared for another training session. —Jack Thompson, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing hum

• ho-hum

Kids Definition

hum

verb

ˈhəm

hummed; humming

1

a

: to utter a continuous \m\ sound

b

: to make the natural buzzing sound of an insect in motion or a sound like it : drone

c

: to give forth a low continuous blend of sound

2

: to produce musical tones while keeping the lips closed

3

: to be busily active

the place was humming

hum noun

hummer noun

Medical Definition

hum

noun

ˈhəm 

: a sound like that made by humming

especially : venous hum