hum
Part of speech: noun
verb
intj
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: From Middle English hummen (“to hum, buzz, drone, make a murmuring sound to cover embarrassment”); akin to Dutch hommelen (“to bumble, buzz”), dialectal Dutch hommen (“to buzz, hum”), Middle High German hummen (“to hum”), probably ultimately of imitative origin.
Inflected forms:
form: hums
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: hums
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: humming
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: hummed
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: hummed
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: A hummed tune, i.e. created orally with lips closed.
pos: noun
gloss: An often indistinct sound resembling human humming.
pos: noun
examples: They could hear a hum coming from the kitchen, and found the dishwasher on.
the shard-borne beetle with his drowsy hums
gloss: Busy activity, like the buzz of a beehive.
pos: noun
gloss: Unpleasant odour.
pos: noun
tags: UK
slang
gloss: An imposition or hoax; humbug.
pos: noun
tags: dated
gloss: A kind of strong drink.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
examples: you do provide me hum enough , And lour to bouse with
gloss: A phenomenon, or collection of phenomena, involving widespread reports of a persistent and invasive low-frequency humming, rumbling, or droning noise not audible to all people.
pos: noun
examples: There is a range of theories from farm or factory machinery to conspiracy theories such as flying saucers. And yet, "the hum" remains an unsolved case.
gloss: To make a sound from the vocal cords without pronouncing any real words, with one's lips closed.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: We are humming happily along with the music.
gloss: To express by humming.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: to hum a tune
The team hummed “We Shall Overcome” as they came back onto the field after the break.
gloss: To drone like certain insects naturally do in motion, or sounding similarly.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: The leaves of the foreſt were loaded with manna, pure amber dropped from every bough, honey diſtilled from the rifted rock, and the humming bee, drunk with joy, ſtrayed from flower to flower, forgetful of his burſting cells.
A slight gloom fell upon the table. Jacob was helping himself to jam; the postman was talking to Rebecca in the kitchen; there was a bee humming at the yellow flower which nodded at the open window.
gloss: To buzz, be busily active like a beehive
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: The streets were humming with activity.
gloss: To produce low sounds which blend continuously
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
gloss: To reek, smell bad.
pos: verb
tags: UK
slang
examples: This room really hums — have you ever tried spring cleaning, mate?
gloss: To flatter by approving; to cajole; to deceive or impose upon; to humbug.
pos: verb
tags: UK
dated
slang
transitive
gloss: Synonym of hmm: a noise indicating thought, consideration, &c.
pos: intj
examples: Hum! hum! What's all this?
gloss: Synonym of um: a noise indicating doubt, uncertainty, &c.
pos: intj
examples: Ah, now this is why we must proceed with great circumspection. They were both, hum, “put out” themselves.
Synonyms: bombinate
buzz
drone
hum
thrum
whirr
whizz
Antonyms: snap
Related words: humblebee
humming
Derived words: antihum
humbird
hum-box
humbucker
humdudgeon
mains hum
sixty cycle hum
hummy
ahum
ho-hum
hum along
hum and ha
hum and haw
humble
hum-buzz
hummable
hummer
hummingbird
humming-top
unhummed
ho hum
Translations: