um

interjection

a prolonged

m 

sound

əm

—used to indicate hesitation

well, um, I don't know

Examples of um in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Crosby can… um… provide funny reaction shots when henchmen get killed! — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026

Just like when personal computers came out, but there’s a fantastic book by um, George Lakoff and Rafael Núñez about math and where ideas in math come from, via metaphors. — Quanta Magazine, 20 Aug. 2026

Como é bonito ver que não temos de tomar decisões partindo de um ponto de vista limitado, e, em vez disso, podemos confiar mais em Deus, que sabe tudo e cuida sem falha de todos nós, por sermos Suas ideias realmente boas. — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Aug. 2026

On general principles, Harley trikes have also always been … um, kinda lively in their altogether unique what-passes-for-handling department. — New Atlas, 14 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing um

• no-see-um

Rhymes for um

• bum
• chum
• come
• crum
• cum
• drum
• dum
• dumb
• from
• frum
• glum
• gum

Kids Definition

um

interjection

a prolonged

m 

sound, əm

—used to express hesitation

well, um, I don't know