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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hum
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
One day, out of the blue, Claire’s idyllic life is interrupted by a persistent hum.
—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
12 June 2026
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2026
The pros at the front desk keep things humming; Club Level guests, meanwhile, can check in even faster in a dedicated lounge—or right in their suites.
—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for hum
Noun
And then the 1970s British folk rock gives way to a less pleasant auditory landscape, as the hum appears, bringing on headaches and nosebleeds and affecting her concentration and mood, her work and family.
—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
One day, out of the blue, Claire’s idyllic life is interrupted by a persistent hum.
—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
12 June 2026
Verb
The event may not be about politics, but politics will be humming in the background regardless.
—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2026
The pros at the front desk keep things humming; Club Level guests, meanwhile, can check in even faster in a dedicated lounge—or right in their suites.
—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for hum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hum
Noun
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Wafting odors of 100-octane gasoline and rumbling purrs of V8 engines punched through the overcast morning at Sonoma Raceway on Saturday as the Velocity Invitational car meet entered its second day.
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That detail has led researchers to wonder whether the purr is partly a self-healing mechanism, a body soothing itself from the inside out.
Verb
-
Swirl it into a sauce à la minute, at most—heat will burst the eggs and reduce texture contrast.
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The second half was a completely different story, bursting with action on both ends of the pitch.
Verb
-
Mosquitos buzz in, emerging from eggs laid in stagnant water across the region.
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London draws more than 30 million visitors annually, and along with its buzzing energy and endless opportunities comes one of the world’s most exciting food scenes.
Noun
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Theories, speculation and whispers were hard to ignore, but even harder to prove.
-
The whispers about the 41-year-old turned louder.
Verb
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Tiny bulging eyes form long before the animal resembles a shark at all and its future face exists only as clusters of migrating cells, slowly organizing themselves into the structures that will eventually become jaws, cartilage and sensory organs.
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The 20-yard screamer deflected off keeper Luca Zidane’s fingertips and bulged the back of the net.
Verb
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Adams likened the conditions on the boat to having a bunch of teenagers — with no seatbelts or airbags — in the back of a pick-up truck and zipping down an unpaved road.
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There were also moments of real quality when Cape Verde recovered possession, zipping the ball around the Spanish pressure and often looking to play their way out with short passes into midfield.
Noun
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All were filled with Chenier’s murmuring accordion, the rustle of a washboard player and slinky grooves.
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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.
Verb
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The machine whirs to life, the smell of hot plastic slowly seeping into the air.
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Then whir that with ice in a blender.
Cite this Entry
“Hum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hum. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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