HUM Synonyms: 60 Similar and Opposite Words

hum 1 of 2

noun

Definition of hum

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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hum

2 of 2

verb

ˈhəm

as in to burst

to be copiously supplied one restaurant was humming with diners, while a neighboring eatery was practically empty

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to buzz

to fly, turn, or move rapidly with a fluttering or vibratory sound a helicopter hummed overhead

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of hum

Noun

The ritual hum of leaf blowers fires up in the fall and marks the change in season as much as vibrant leaves falling from the trees. — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026 On campus, there's that hum of excitement in the air as students find their way to classes, meet new roommates and scurry off to pep rallies and rush week. — Janet W. Lee, NPR, 20 Sep. 2026

Verb

After the team’s historic, championship-clinching summer, Thursday’s preseason matchup hummed with energy. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2026 Filmed largely in natural daylight, the film drifts between still, unhurried, panning shots to evoke not only the spiritual energy that keeps the temples humming but also a world in slow, gradual decay. — Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hum

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hum

Noun

Highlights and experiences It is always a special event stepping out of Venice’s airport onto a pontoon and a polished mahogany water taxi that drops you off canalside near your hotel, after a purr through the Grand Canal.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2026
Kimie Smothermon begins each day greeted by the squeals, chirps and purrs of nearly 400 guinea pigs.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of purr

Verb

When that bubble burst in the Panic of 1893, a third of railroads went bust, more than 500 banks failed, and the economy plunged into a four-year depression.

— Ming Lu, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
When a bank of televisions showed horses bursting through the starting gate, feet stomped on the club’s carpet.

— Abe Streep, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of burst

Verb

By morning, firefighting aircraft were back in the air dropping water on the Bryson fire in Malibu while the sound of generators purchased by outage-weary residents and business owners buzzed through the canyons.

— Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Matières Fécales and Christian Louboutin’s shoes have been receiving some celebrity buzz lately.

— Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of buzz

Noun

The landscape flowed in ridges and mountains of faded yellow and whisper pink, where welwitschia–large, low-lying plants that live to be hundreds of years old–sprawled like relics from a Dune film set.

— Samantha Falewée, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026
SteelSeries Gaming Keyboard Deal Keep your keystrokes whisper-quiet and lightning-fast using the SteelSeries Apex 3 TKL Gaming Keyboard.

— Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of whisper

Verb

Simmons has yet to make his season debut because of a bulging disk in his back, and Rice injured his hamstring during Kansas City’s Week 4 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

— Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 19 Oct. 2026
In the grayness that should have been sunrise that morning, dark clouds sagged baggily over the very treetops, bulging as if ready to split under their liquid weight.

— Gerald R. Hunter, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of bulge

Verb

This fully electric, ultra-compact quadricycle is designed for short urban trips—like zipping down to the shops in a golf cart, but more stylish—offering a simpler alternative to traditional cars.

— Lauryn Higgins, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Considering that the whiskers are only 200 mm long, this means that the drones cannot go zipping through unmapped terrain at high speeds.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of zip

Noun

The full textile experience, after all, is multisensory—visual, tactile, and sometimes auditory (think of taffeta’s distinctive rustle).

— Leslie Camhi, Vogue, 15 Sep. 2026
Still, Polk’s family found peace there, watching big owls swoop down and falling asleep to the rustle of two acres of trees.

— Austyn Gaffney, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of rustle

Verb

There’s a quiet stillness in the harbor — the only sounds are of the occasional gull and car whirring by.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Lifestyle projectors have come a long way from the dim, whirring boxes that only really worked with the curtains drawn.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of whir

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hulls

hum

human

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“Hum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hum. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of hum

noun

verb

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