as in purr
a monotonous sound like that of an insect in motion
we heard the hum of an outboard motor and a few minutes later the small craft came into sight
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hum
Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 3 May 2026
Hurry is the background hum of modern life.
—Big Think, 1 May 2026
Alexander Smith, NBC news, 1 May 2026
Having Nabers and Slayton out of practice for such a long time will present a challenge for John Harbaugh, Matt Nagy and Dart to get this offense humming early in 2026.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hum
Noun
These Beats Studio Pros are sleek enough to wear everywhere and powerful enough to hush airplane hum or chatty seatmates.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 3 May 2026
Hurry is the background hum of modern life.
—Big Think, 1 May 2026
Verb
There was a steady cadence of police cars humming past, as well as officers stationed outside the local London Underground station.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 1 May 2026
Having Nabers and Slayton out of practice for such a long time will present a challenge for John Harbaugh, Matt Nagy and Dart to get this offense humming early in 2026.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hum
Noun
-
Unlike at Shadden’s, the only mechanical purr is the brief rumble of a passing car.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 May 2026
-
In its megacities and beyond, traffic is increasingly falling silent, the dull whir of the electric motor replacing the purr of an internal combustion engine.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
2 May 2026
Verb
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All of this only adds to conviction in AI, but also has some investors with long memories likening the current period to the late 1990s when the stock market boomed thanks to internet investment before the bubble eventually burst in 2000.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
8 May 2026
-
Skin is elastic enough to permit significant expansion with bursting.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
However, once the moon enters Aries later this evening, your phone will be buzzing nonstop with plans, updates and gossip.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
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Levy says Leap had a big hand in revitalizing this stretch of Bleecker Street, which is now buzzing with stores, cafés and restaurants.—
Anne Kadet,
Curbed,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
In a world where most conversations take the form of cautious whispers, information degrades quickly.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
13 May 2026
-
With a whisper of mineral notes, Ford’s was a bracingly hefty gin with impressive structure.—
Sam Stone,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Then with a little nudging, the clumsy newborn finds the udder bulging between the cow’s back legs and hungrily suckles colostrum so critical for its first feeding.—
Susan Koch,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
-
Reiner sat mostly expressionless in the courtroom—his eyes wide open and bulging.—
Maxwell Adler,
Vanity Fair,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Ducks zipped the puck around the Vegas zone, and Gauthier found a seam pass through the heart of the defense right to Zellweger’s tape.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
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The Mayor, after arriving with his chief of staff and first deputy mayor, zipped off a pair of ankle boots and joined the men on the floor.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
In a distant forest, the monument to his reckless fretwork rustles in the treetops and hums with beehives like the watts in a worn, weary amp burning, crackling for release.—
Tyehimba Jess,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Everything is quiet apart from the rustle of leaves and the gentle murmur of voices from the bar.—
Irenie Forshaw,
TheWeek,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Most of us turn to mechanical fixes—air conditioners humming, ceiling fans whirring at full tilt.—
Nolan Lewis,
Architectural Digest,
27 Apr. 2026
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Shadows and strange sounds can set imaginations whirring—from the guttural roar of a hunting lion to the giggling calls of a feasting hyena pack.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hum. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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