hush

verb \ ˈhəsh \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Examples: hush in a Sentence

Definition of hush

hushed; hushing; hushes

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

See hush defined for English-language learners

See hush defined for kids

Examples of hush in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of hush from the Web

Photo: Erin Lefevre for The Wall Street Journal On a recent morning at the second floor of a high-school complex where Upper West is based, hallways were hushed, and classrooms were humming.

— leslie brody, WSJ, "The Search for Diverse Schools That Perform," 6 June 2018
Two emotionally charged movements in memory of Dvorak and his daughter resonated in other ways: with throbbing clarinets, a ravishing solo by concertmaster William Preucil, and an otherworldly hushed passage for pizzicato strings.

— john petkovic, cleveland.com, "Cleveland International Film Festival: 'Getting Naked' an intimate portrait of burlesque queens," 6 Apr. 2018
The audience was completely hushed, awaiting each fiddle line or banjo lick, each unexpected harmonic turn, each precise swell of three-part harmony.

— jon pareles, New York Times, "In Its Own Quiet Way, I’m With Her Is a Supergroup," 13 Mar. 2018
Getting to know you The outreaches are seen as a way to interact with people who might see libraries as still a place to just get a book and be hushed up, Koszalka said.

— jane ford-stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Library-lovers a tough bunch in West Allis," 25 May 2018
Two seasons ago, Wade put the Heat on his back in Game 6 of a first-round series at Charlotte, scoring 23 points to hush up Purple Shirt Guy and lift the Heat to victory.

— manny navarro, miamiherald, "Down 3-1 in the best-of 7 series, Dwyane Wade and the Heat are focusing on doing this | Miami Herald," 23 Apr. 2018
As the officials huddled and the Predators celebrated and the BB&T Center hushed, Roberto Luongo kneeled in his crease.

— matthew defranks, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Luongo leads Panthers past league-leading Nashville to keep slim playoff hopes alive," 4 Apr. 2018
Other comics were hushed by his frenzy and became his worshiping spectators.

— david thomson, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘Robin,’ by Dave Itzkoff," 10 May 2018
Upstairs is hushed and plush, with soft tones, rooms that seat 100, and solicitous waiters.

— sheryl julian, BostonGlobe.com, "How does a restaurant survive for decades? These 10 have a winning formula," 9 May 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.

Origin and Etymology of hush

back-formation from husht hushed, from Middle English hussht, from huissht, interjection used to enjoin silence

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1546

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

hush Synonyms

Phrases

cool it;

hush

adjective

Definition of hush

1 archaic : silent, still

2 : intended to prevent the dissemination of certain information

hush money

Recent Examples of hush from the Web

Parents, kids, leaders all hush-hushing the abuse and moving the abusers along — quietly, Catholic Church-style — to the next group of victims.

— petula dvorak, Washington Post, "No, those weren’t the good old days. A rant about ‘homos’ aimed at a kid reminds us why.," 24 May 2018
Trump responded that investigators are looking into Cohen's business -- not the legal work Cohen did related to Daniels -- and that Trump campaign funds were not used to pay Daniels the $130,000 hush fee.

— mj lee and sara sidner, CNN, "Stormy Daniels' attorney asks for case against President Trump to move forward," 24 May 2018
What started out as an inquiry into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election has mushroomed into questions of perjury, obstruction of justice, conspiracy, abuse of power, illicit spying, hush money, tax fraud, money laundering and influence peddling.

— james freeman, WSJ, "Where in the World Was Barack Obama?," 18 May 2018
Earlier this year, Daniels said that Trump’s attorney, Michael Cohen, paid her $130,000 on hush money to keep the affair quiet during the presidential election in 2016.

— nick vadala, Philly.com, "Stormy Daniels to appear at Philly strip club this week," 7 May 2018
In a surprise Wednesday evening Fox News appearance, Trump lawyer (and former New York City Mayor) Rudy Giuliani broke the news that Donald Trump had reimbursed Michael Cohen for the $130,000 hush money payoff to Stormy Daniels.

— matthew yglesias, Vox, "The week’s 4 big political stories, explained," 4 May 2018
It was revealed publicly that Cohen paid her $130,000, in what Daniels characterizes as hush money on behalf of President Trump, the month before the 2016 election.

— brooke bobb, Vogue, "Stormy Daniels Chose a Millennial Pink Power Suit for a Day in Court," 16 Apr. 2018
The decision to staff-up on the PR front in favor of outsourcing to agencies suggests something big (and very hush hush) might be on the horizon.

— kayleigh roberts, Marie Claire, "Why Everyone Thinks Erdem Is Designing Meghan Markle's Wedding Dress," 5 Apr. 2018
One recent #MeToo example is Rose McGowan’s allegation that Harvey Weinstein offered her $1 million in hush money in exchange for signing an NDA.

— elizabeth kiefer, Glamour, "What Is Sexual Harassment? A Glossary of the #MeToo Movement," 30 May 2018

First Known Use of hush

1602

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

hush

noun

Definition of hush

: a silence or calm especially following noise : quiet

See hush defined for English-language learners

Examples of hush in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of hush from the Web

There was a hush around Anfield just before half-time when captain Jordan Henderson lay on the turf clutching his Achilles, however after treatment the midfielder was able to continue.

— timothy abraham, chicagotribune.com, "Stoke hold Liverpool to scoreless draw at Anfield," 28 Apr. 2018
Hold your breath With 55.9 second left in the third quarter there was a momentary hush.

— marc narducci, Philly.com, "Sixers 110, Hornets 99: Joel Embiid showcases strength, and other quick observations," 2 Mar. 2018
When that scene came on, there was definitely a hush over the room.

— darla murray, Cosmopolitan, "10 Guys Reveal the Movie Sex Scene That Turns Them on Most," 16 June 2017
Without his genius, and that of Stephen Trask who wrote the show's music and lyrics, Hedwig would be a giant hush.

— aaron leth, Harper's BAZAAR, "Curtain Call: Hedwig and The Angry Inch," 23 Apr. 2014
The president, who has acknowledged reimbursing Cohen for the hush-money settlement struck on the eve of the 2016 presidential election, has denied the affair with Daniels.

— kevin johnson, USA TODAY, "Millions of items seized in Michael Cohen raid to be vetted for prosecutors," 30 May 2018
Adult film star Stormy Daniels said President Donald Trump’s sudden acknowledgment of her 2016 hush agreement means that a judge’s hold on her lawsuit to void the deal can be lifted.

— erik larson, Bloomberg.com, "Avenatti Seeks to Revive Hush Money Lawsuit After Trump’s Comments," 24 May 2018
While most royal warrant holders are hush-hush about their customers, Floris has a small museum in the back of the shop with letters and archived receipts from various palaces and high-wattage clientele like Sir Winston Churchill (Special No.

— amy tara koch, New York Times, "A Road Map to Shopping Like a Royal in London," 9 May 2018
While the hush agreement purports to bind both Daniels and Trump, Trump did not sign it, either as himself or as David Dennison.

— dylan matthews, Vox, "The definitive guide to the Stormy Daniels scandal," 24 Mar. 2018