Definition of HUM

hum

Plural: hums

Noun

  • the state of being or appearing to be actively engaged in an activity
    • "there is a constant hum of military preparation"
  • an Islamic fundamentalist group in Pakistan that fought the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s; now operates as a terrorist organization primarily in Kashmir and seeks Kashmir's accession by Pakistan
  • a humming noise
    • "the hum of distant traffic"
  • A hummed tune, i.e. created orally with lips closed.
  • An often indistinct sound resembling human humming.
  • Busy activity, like the buzz of a beehive.
  • Unpleasant odour.
  • An imposition or hoax; humbug.
  • A kind of strong drink.
  • 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.
  • Synonym of see hum (“blood cockles, ark clams”).

Verb

Verb Forms: hummed, humming, hums

  • To sing with closed lips, without words.
  • sing with closed lips
    • "She hummed a melody"
  • be noisy with activity
  • sound with a monotonous hum
  • make a low continuous sound
    • "The refrigerator is humming"
  • To make a sound from the vocal cords without pronouncing any real words, with one's lips closed.
  • To express by humming.
  • To drone like certain insects naturally do in motion, or sounding similarly.
  • To buzz, be busily active like a beehive
  • To produce low sounds which blend continuously
  • To reek, smell bad.
  • To flatter by approving; to cajole; to deceive or impose upon; to humbug.

Intj

  • Synonym of hmm: a noise indicating thought, consideration, &c.
  • Synonym of um: a noise indicating doubt, uncertainty, &c.

Examples

  • He would HUM softly while contemplating his next move in Words With Friends.
  • The streets were humming with activity.
  • The team hummed “We Shall Overcome” as they came back onto the field after the break.
  • They could hear a hum coming from the kitchen, and found the dishwasher on.
  • This room really hums — have you ever tried spring cleaning, mate?
  • to hum a tune
  • We are humming happily along with the music.

Origin / 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.

Synonyms

Al Faran, busyness, buzz, Harkat ul-Ansar, Harkat ul-Mujahedeen, Harkat-ul-Mujahidin, HUA, humming, Movement of Holy Warriors, seethe, thrum, bombinate, bumble, bustle, croon, drone, hmm, hum, hustle, see hum, um, whir, whirr, whizz

Antonyms

snap

Scrabble Score: 8

hum: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
hum: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
hum: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 9

hum: valid Words With Friends Word