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

Since then, the land has sat mostly empty, occupied only by an unrelenting hum. — Lauren Fichten, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026 Indeed, the team behind this research believes this hum of spacetime ripples could help explain how supermassive black holes grew so rapidly before the universe was even a billion years old. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Verb

As the Yeomen continued losing games last year, the larger college-football machine kept humming at campuses across the country. — Jesse Dougherty, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026 While Google's position in AI is viewed as tenuous by some market experts, the ad business keeps on humming along, growing 14% in the latest quarter. — Mackenzie Sigalos,drew Troast, CNBC, 3 Sep. 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

The original Defender burst onto the scene in 1983 (though it wouldn’t be called the Defender until 1990), as a modern update to the original Land Rover Series that had debuted in the 1940s.

— Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 17 Sep. 2026
Pioneers who created the tech weigh in OpenAI burst onto the mainstream in 2022 following the launch of its artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, and it's ballooned into one of the most valuable private companies in the world.

— Ashley Capoot,David Faber,Kate Rooney, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of burst

Verb

Some frontrunners generated buzz after premieres at Venice, Telluride, and Toronto, while other earlier festival entries survived the stress test of a reassessment months after their debuts at Cannes or Sundance.

— Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 20 Sep. 2026
With most parents decked out in the school’s signature green, Providence’s fan section was buzzing during the first quarter.

— Lila Hempel-Edgers, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of buzz

Noun

At a time when so much contemporary art jockeys to be spectacular, Op de Beeck’s whispers, both commanding and requiring your attention.

— Miles Socha, Footwear News, 11 Sep. 2026
In a fitting homage, the whiskey's whisper of a smoky, campfire-like finish sets it apart among Kentucky's expansive bourbon scene.

— Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of whisper

Verb

Her bulging eyes, her piercing shrieks, her casual yet immaculately articulate cruelty all come together to form a cartoonish villain who’s also a commanding delight.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 18 Sep. 2026
This duality isn’t immediately obvious in the woman who greets me at her door in New York City with a bulging plastic bag of breakfast food and a wide, open smile.

— CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of bulge

Verb

Wolt motorbikes zipping along the streets and weaving through dense traffic are an ubiquitous sight in the beachside city.

— Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
Their battle for first after a restart with nine laps remaining opened the door for Logano, who zipped past Hocevar and led the final seven laps.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Sep. 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

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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 25 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of hum

noun

verb

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