as in hum
a monotonous sound like that of an insect in motion
the steady thrum of the turbines in the power plant
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Recent Examples of thrum
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
Tyler Perry's Netflix thriller thrums with corporate intrigue, salacious scandals, and no shortage of one-liners.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2025
Lauren Ng
contact, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2025
An unassuming airstrip, once built to serve supersonic jets but quickly relegated to a training facility, thrummed with activity Monday as tractor trailers unloaded supplies and construction crews worked in the thick humidity to finish building the detention facility.
—Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for thrum
Noun
Tracy’s dialogue, though absent the staccato non sequiturs of the director’s earlier work, has a bracing nastiness; every visual flourish and every menacing thrum of the score, by Jerskin Fendrix, escalates the intensity of Stone and Plemons’s bravura showdown.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
Tyler Perry's Netflix thriller thrums with corporate intrigue, salacious scandals, and no shortage of one-liners.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
Melody, the Virgil Village bungalow that constantly thrummed with diners who settled into its open-air living room and patio to try burgeoning food pop-ups, swill natural wine and jam to owner Eric Tucker’s genre-spanning DJ sets, is set to close permanently on July 12.
—Lauren Ng
contact, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2025
An unassuming airstrip, once built to serve supersonic jets but quickly relegated to a training facility, thrummed with activity Monday as tractor trailers unloaded supplies and construction crews worked in the thick humidity to finish building the detention facility.
—Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for thrum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thrum
Noun
-
In the early years of the automobile age, the quiet hum of electric motors, not the explosion of gasoline, seemed inevitable.—
Bill Gourgey,
Popular Science,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Richard Ruelas and Clara Migoya Outside Guthrie's red brick home, bird song was only interrupted by the hum of dozens of running engines from reporters' cars lining the street.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Robinson’s attorneys have ramped up claims of bias as the case has advanced, even accusing news outlets of using lip readers to deduce what the defendant is whispering to his attorneys during court hearings.—
Matthew Brown,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Her lips moved only to whisper to herself.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In previous years, the Puppy Bowl has featured a halftime purr-formance with shelter kittens, but there’s no word on whether a bunny will headline this year.—
Bee staff
February 6,
Sacbee.com,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Washington delivers the dialogue with a thrilling range from purrs to roars, all imbued with an authoritative swagger.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Donors symbolically adopt and name a Madagascar hissing cockroach after a loved one, an ex, or anyone who deserves to be immortalized with a hiss and receive a certificate with your proof of naming for $15.—
Dianne Plummer,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The hissing noise tracked to his home office, where one wall felt particularly warm.—
J.C. Hallman,
Oklahoma Watch,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
With all of the buzz that Ripley could win it, perhaps she’s ultimately eliminated by Sky.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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The couple also say Café Bastille has earned word-of-mouth buzz — commenters rave about it constantly on food groups — for their famously large portions that keep pace with viral trends.—
Phillip Valys,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Medical machinery beeps, carers murmur softly.—
Sophia Saifi,
CNN Money,
3 Feb. 2026
-
His father trailed him on the ice, murmuring.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Dejan Furtula sighed with despair while looking at construction machines working around the clock to remove tons of trash clogging the Drina River near his hometown of Visegrad, in eastern Bosnia.—
Eldar Emric,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
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Twice thwarted, Beth sighs, says yes, and gets on with the business of living.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The partnership has helped keep its sewing machines whirring.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
6 Feb. 2026
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There’s also the noise issue, and the somewhat awkward reality of spinning rotors whirring dangerously above people in public places.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Thrum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thrum. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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