hush

verb

\ ˈhəsh

hushed; hushing; hushes

Definition of hush

(Entry 1 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : calm, quiet hushed the children as they entered the library

2 : to put at rest : mollify

3 : to keep from public knowledge : suppress hush the story up

intransitive verb

: to become quiet

hush

adjective

Definition of hush (Entry 2 of 3)

1 archaic : silent, still

2 : intended to prevent the dissemination of certain information hush money

hush

noun

Definition of hush (Entry 3 of 3)

: a silence or calm especially following noise : quiet

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about hush

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Examples of hush in a Sentence

Verb

The woman in the seat behind me was trying to hush her baby. The judge hushed the spectators. The spectators hushed as the judge entered the courtroom.

Noun

the storm passed, and a hush fell over the sea a hush fell over the auditorium as the lights went down

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

There might have been a handful of jerks jeering and celebrating in the moment when Durant first went down, but they were hushed by Golden State and Toronto players. — Greg Moore, azcentral, "Kevin Durant playing through injury shows love for game — it's why Toronto fans ended up cheering," 10 June 2019 Absent underhood explosions and shifting of gears, the cabin is hushed and serene. — Ezra Dyer, Popular Mechanics, "The 2019 Popular Mechanics Automotive Excellence Awards," 16 Apr. 2019 Echoing what was discovered in Boston and other places, the grand jury report accused senior church officials of hushing up allegations against priests, in some cases by shuffling them from parish to parish. — Denise Lavoie, Fox News, "Church sex scandal: Abuse victims want a full reckoning," 15 Aug. 2018 The wind will hush, the clouds will part, the rain will stop, the sky will clear in an instant. — Jasmine Gomez, Seventeen, "30 Of The Best Quotes From All 15 Seasons Of Grey's Anatomy," 10 May 2019 Possibility #4: There have been secret drone attacks against NATO naval forces in the eastern Mediterranean were hushed-up. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Why Does This German Frigate Have Drone “Kill Marks”?," 27 Aug. 2018 The auditoriums set up for bridge are hushed, dotted with dozens of card tables with four players at each. — Stephen Wade, Fox News, "Playing bridge at the Asian Games: 'Athletics of the mind'," 22 Aug. 2018 How about a silver gavel to pound on the table at a raucous event—one that could silence a room or just as easily measure out a few jiggers of hooch to the thirsty and hushed? — Kevin Conley, Town & Country, "Old Money Hardware for a Man in a Hurry," 20 Oct. 2015 Despite its opulence, the hotel is far from hushed: Friday and Saturday nights, a DJ in the lobby bar spins something funky, and on Sundays, live music from Park 75 restaurant can be heard throughout the main floor. — Allison Weiss Entrekin, Condé Nast Traveler, "14 Best Hotels in Atlanta," 27 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The Justice Department says the hush money payments were unreported campaign contributions meant to influence the outcome of the election. — Eric Tucker, The Seattle Times, "AP FACT CHECK: Trump’s untruths on Russia probe, wall, jobs," 6 Feb. 2019 In February, Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen confirmed that there had been hush money payments to Daniels. — Ben Widdicombe, Town & Country, "Billion Dollar Divorces: What Happens When the Super Wealthy Risk Everything for Love on the Down-Low," 10 Apr. 2019 For the majority of the beginning of their careers, Beyoncé and Jay-Z were pretty hush on their personal relationship. — Natalie Maher, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Best Drinking Songs to Raise a Glass To," 29 Mar. 2019 Daniels’ lawsuit over the hush deal has been delayed, with the judge citing the criminal investigation. — Time, "President Trump Says 'Retainer' to Lawyer Covered Payment to Stormy Daniels," 3 May 2018 Never mind that the hush money payoff took place less than a month before the 2016 election because Daniels was reportedly poised to share her story publicly. — Jack Holmes, Esquire, "Happy Valentine's Day. Let's Pause to Acknowledge How Insane the Stormy Daniels Story Is.," 14 Feb. 2018 Even though Today show star Hoda Kotb and financier Joel Schiffman have been reportedly dating since 2013, Hoda has been relatively hush-hush about their relationship over the years. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "'Today' Show Star Hoda Kotb Revealed So Much to Wendy Williams About Her Boyfriend Joel," 15 Mar. 2019 The couple, who has kept hush-hush about their relationship, has not yet publicly addressed the news. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Jennifer Lawrence Is Engaged to Art Gallerist Cooke Maroney," 5 Feb. 2019 Looks like Nina Dobrev is still keeping her new relationship with her beau, Grant Mellon, hush-hush. — Tamara Fuentes, Seventeen, "Why Nina Dobrev Walked the 2019 Grammys Red Carpet Without Her New BF Grant Mellon," 11 Feb. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The legal filings seek to void the hush-money agreement and award Mayorga and her lawyers monetary damages of at least $200,000. — Washington Post, "Ronaldo rape lawsuit in Vegas moved from Nevada to US court," 5 June 2019 The legal filings seek to void the hush-money agreement and award Mayorga and her lawyers monetary damages of at least $200,000. — Ken Ritter, chicagotribune.com, "Lawyer says the Cristiano Ronaldo rape lawsuit has been moved from Nevada to U.S. federal court," 5 June 2019 The audience was in a hush during these quieter, compelling moments of expression. — Piet Levy, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Lorde proves she's one of pop's boldest stars in Milwaukee concert, kicking off new tour," 2 Mar. 2018 To be held on December 2, the show is being kept hush-hush for now, with no details about the location available. — Steff Yotka, Vogue, "Versace Will Host Its First-Ever Pre-Fall Runway Show in New York," 12 Oct. 2018 Drama and chaos, surely—but the exact plot is still hush-hush. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, "Attention, Big Little Lies Fans: The Second Season Trailer Has Arrived," 14 Apr. 2019 Until this weekend, Taylor Swift had kept her political opinions completely hush-hush. — Isabel Greenberg, Harper's BAZAAR, "Twitter Is Freaking Out About Taylor Swift's Political Instagram Post," 8 Oct. 2018 Even though Today show star Hoda Kotb and financier Joel Schiffman have been reportedly dating since 2013, Hoda has been relatively hush-hush about their relationship over the years. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "'Today' Show Star Hoda Kotb Revealed So Much to Wendy Williams About Her Boyfriend Joel," 15 Mar. 2019 Still, the culture surrounding plastic surgery remains hush-hush. — Elissa Strauss, Glamour, "The Changing Face of Beauty In America," 8 Oct. 2018

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