as in purrs
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
1
2
as in zips
to fly, turn, or move rapidly with a fluttering or vibratory sound
a helicopter hummed overhead
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of hums
Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
If the motor hums loudly or constantly, check whether the ductwork is damaged.
—Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Oct. 2025
Back at its Utah HQ, where the walls are lined with pink Crumbl University diplomas and the test kitchen hums with invention, the next big flavor is already in the oven.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025
The city, 60 kilometres from the frontlines, hums with school bells, playgrounds echo with sports practice and friends laugh and play in the streets.
—Sonal Nain, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
But if hotel noises, traffic rumbles, or plane hums keep you from getting some shut-eye, this compact sound machine may become your best travel companion.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 12 Sep. 2025
Schumann Resonance Time Acceleration Schumann resonances are natural, low-frequency electromagnetic hums that form in the cavity between Earth’s surface and the ionosphere (50-600 miles above the surface).
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
The city pulses with ambition—as Education City hums with global ideas, and Katara hosts opera under the stars.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
While the major theories of consciousness differ in many ways, most agree that consciousness arises when enough of the brain’s cortex — the outermost layer, responsible for high-level functions such as thought and memory — hums in coordinated harmony.
—Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 21 Oct. 2025
For example, from the front porch of a nearby house, wind turbines don't typically sound louder than a household refrigerator, which hums at around 55 dBA.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 20 Oct. 2025
Inside, the place hums with character.
—Abby Price, Southern Living, 20 Oct. 2025
The machinery of violence here hums louder each week.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
The porch smells faintly of lime and ginger, and the house hums the way houses do when a good conversation has just ended.
—Gina Pace, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
The sound of K-pop also hums through the other magical elements of the film, especially HUNTR/X’s weapons and the strange familiars that Rumi and Ji-noo (Ahn Hyo-seop) use to communicate with each other across enemy lines.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
In late spring, the city hums with farmers’ markets, craft beer events and bike rides along blooming lakefront paths.
—Allison Palmer, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2025
The Windom neighborhood still hums with late-August cicadas and sparrows, the sounds of summer carrying on as always.
—Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2025
Noun
Yet something more complicated hums beneath the surface.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
If the motor hums loudly or constantly, check whether the ductwork is damaged.
—Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Oct. 2025
Back at its Utah HQ, where the walls are lined with pink Crumbl University diplomas and the test kitchen hums with invention, the next big flavor is already in the oven.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025
The city, 60 kilometres from the frontlines, hums with school bells, playgrounds echo with sports practice and friends laugh and play in the streets.
—Sonal Nain, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
But if hotel noises, traffic rumbles, or plane hums keep you from getting some shut-eye, this compact sound machine may become your best travel companion.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 12 Sep. 2025
Schumann Resonance Time Acceleration Schumann resonances are natural, low-frequency electromagnetic hums that form in the cavity between Earth’s surface and the ionosphere (50-600 miles above the surface).
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
The city pulses with ambition—as Education City hums with global ideas, and Katara hosts opera under the stars.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
While the major theories of consciousness differ in many ways, most agree that consciousness arises when enough of the brain’s cortex — the outermost layer, responsible for high-level functions such as thought and memory — hums in coordinated harmony.
—Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
Verb
But locals embrace the town’s remoteness, enjoying the alpine trails that begin right off Main Street, the legendary ski terrain, and a downtown that hums with old mining town charm.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 21 Oct. 2025
For example, from the front porch of a nearby house, wind turbines don't typically sound louder than a household refrigerator, which hums at around 55 dBA.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 20 Oct. 2025
Inside, the place hums with character.
—Abby Price, Southern Living, 20 Oct. 2025
The machinery of violence here hums louder each week.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
The porch smells faintly of lime and ginger, and the house hums the way houses do when a good conversation has just ended.
—Gina Pace, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
The sound of K-pop also hums through the other magical elements of the film, especially HUNTR/X’s weapons and the strange familiars that Rumi and Ji-noo (Ahn Hyo-seop) use to communicate with each other across enemy lines.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
In late spring, the city hums with farmers’ markets, craft beer events and bike rides along blooming lakefront paths.
—Allison Palmer, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2025
The Windom neighborhood still hums with late-August cicadas and sparrows, the sounds of summer carrying on as always.
—Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hums
Noun
-
But the other people who live nearby may not be so easily swayed by those adorable puppy dog eyes or precious purrs and might get very irritated.—
Libby Monteith Minor,
Southern Living,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Washington delivers the dialogue with a thrilling range from purrs to roars, all imbued with an authoritative swagger.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Beetle buzzes by with tiny pumpkins perched on top, and Xuanwu, a ground robot carrying a drone, walks ominously in the background.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
-
In September, New York buzzes with the energy of New York Fashion Week (NYFW).—
Tabitha Britt,
Flow Space,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The yawning gap between data-center expenditures and the rest of the economy has caused whispers of bubble to rise to a chorus.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
30 Oct. 2025
-
There was affairs and divorces and whispers and gossip, all the stuff that makes good bands break up.—
Alan Light,
Rolling Stone,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Once a cushioned conduit to the other side, the casket now bursts with the wisdom of a life lived outside the box.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Later, as the film plays, the crowd bursts intermittently into laughter, cracking up at the clown-car quality of everyone piling into the van for the first time.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hums.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hums. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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