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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hum
ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
The vibration is slow and deep, with users describing it as a hum that spreads through muscle tissue.
—Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2026
Michal Ruprecht, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2026
The place once hummed with thousands of workers and their families, with a school, a day care and a sports center.
—ABC News, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hum
Noun
At the river separating Oiapoque from French Guiana, a small port hums with boats linking Brazil, its neighbor and nearby communities.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
The vibration is slow and deep, with users describing it as a hum that spreads through muscle tissue.
—Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
The 38-year-old doctor also spends weeklong stretches in an understaffed ICU, watching over patients as ventilators hum and conversations tip between survival and loss.
—Michal Ruprecht, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2026
The place once hummed with thousands of workers and their families, with a school, a day care and a sports center.
—ABC News, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hum
Noun
-
The production wears its metaphors lightly with a wink and a purr.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2026
-
On most days, the surf is loud enough to mask the steady purr of cars.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Rico, his wife Michele and daughter Mia burst from their chairs and cheer as Domino flexes his arms, each sleeved in tattoos of dominoes, palm trees and a Cuban cafetera with biceps.—
Phillip Valys,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
-
My heart is constantly bursting open, while also breaking into a million pieces.—
Chanel Vargas,
InStyle,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Joe is lording over his fiefdom from his den, designed in perfect Don Corleone-chic decor, when his fax machine buzzes to life.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
21 Apr. 2026
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TopicsWedding Inspiration The Met Gala buzz starts now.—
Rebecca Cope,
Vogue,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Hamilton described his version as landing somewhere between Senegalese and Ghanaian, cooked in a slurry of roasted red peppers, tomatoes and onions, delicately spiced and with a whisper of smoke.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
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The pre- and postnatal massages at Red Moon Wellness in Park Slope are a staple in the Brooklyn-mom whisper network.—
The Editors,
Curbed,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But a fair number of Mudryk’s attempts end up bulging the roof of the net with power and precision, and very few are saved.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2026
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The Tar Heel pipeline isn’t exactly bulging with the kind of coach the UNC job could attract.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Voyager 1 zipped past Jupiter, Saturn and the latter planet’s largest moon, Titan, all within just a few years after its launch.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
20 Apr. 2026
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Stuff them with your clothes and then squeeze all the air out of them before zipping.—
Marla Jo Fisher,
Oc Register,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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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
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Snowy and great egrets swoop across the water, and a gentle breeze rustles the golden-hued marsh grass this region is said to be named for.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In this case, a genteel woman’s tradition is set against the sound of military helicopters whirring overhead.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
15 Apr. 2026
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Surely, Bobby Jones must be spinning like a rotisserie chicken in his final resting place, and while the co-founder of the stately club lies some 143 miles to the east of Amen Corner, the patrons should be able to pick up on the whirring noises if the wind’s blowing the right way.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hum. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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