hum

1 of 2

verb

hummed; humming

intransitive verb

1
a
: to utter a sound like that of the speech sound \m\ prolonged
humming along with the music
b
: to make the natural noise of an insect in motion or a similar sound : drone
listening to the bees hum in the garden
c
: to give forth a low continuous blend of sound
the sound of children's voices with which the house was always hummingJ. M. Brinnin
2
a
: to be busily active
the museum hummed with visitors
b
: to run smoothly
the business started to hum

transitive verb

1
: to sing with the lips closed and without uttering speech sounds distinctly
hum a tune
2
: to express by making a vocal sound with the lips pressed together : to affect by humming
hummed his displeasure
hum noun
hummable adjective

hum

2 of 2

chiefly British spelling of hem entry 3, hem entry 4

Examples of hum in a Sentence

Verb The garden was humming with bees. The refrigerator hummed in the background. I was humming to myself. We hummed along to the music. I hummed a little song. By noon, the office was really humming. The restaurant hums on weekends.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
American shoppers will likely continue to open their wallets as long as unemployment remains low and job growth continues to hum along. Bryan Mena, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 None of these are cinematic sins per se, but since the central players and plot develop at a glacial pace, the stylistic choices are little more than white noise humming through (and adding to) the slog. Allaire Nuss, EW.com, 8 Mar. 2024 Your body, which oozed and groaned under the yoke of illness, is now a perfectly humming machine. Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2024 EVgo operates about 1,000 stations in the US; in September, almost one-third of them were humming at least 20% of the time. Kyle Stock, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024 Explore Louisiana 10 of 20 Maryland: St. Michaels This gorgeous Eastern Shore enclave has everything in spades—a spectacular waterfront resort, a stunning maritime museum, a humming little downtown, and charming historic homes. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 4 Mar. 2024 The reality star could be heard making humming noises off-camera while tickling the baby's stomach, prompting her to giggle and coo. Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 5 Feb. 2024 Scoring has long been the headliner in Chapel Hill with efficient offenses humming at run-run-run pace. Aaron Beard, USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2024 Frequency: Consider humming multiple times throughout the day. Gen Cleary, Rolling Stone, 1 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hum.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English hummen; akin to Middle High German hummen to hum, Middle Dutch hommel bumblebee

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of hum was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near hum

Cite this Entry

“Hum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hum. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hum

verb
ˈhəm
hummed; humming
1
a
: to utter a continuous \m\ sound
b
: to make the natural buzzing sound of an insect in motion or a sound like it : drone
c
: to give forth a low continuous blend of sound
2
: to produce musical tones while keeping the lips closed
3
: to be busily active
the place was humming
hum noun
hummer noun

Medical Definition

hum

noun
: a sound like that made by humming
especially : venous hum

More from Merriam-Webster on hum

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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