hum
hʌm
hummedhumming
Definition Synonyms Conjugation

Definition of hum - Reverso English Dictionary

Noun

1.
hummed tunetune made by humming with closed lips
  • She listened to the hum of the lullaby.
melody tune
2.
soundlow continuous sound like a machine
  • The hum of the refrigerator was constant.
buzz drone whirr
3.
activityUKbusy activityUK
  • The office was alive with the hum of productivity..
buzz commotion
4.
electronicsTECH.undesired noise in electronic devicesTECH.
  • The speaker emitted a faint hum.
buzz drone whirr

Verb

intr.
1.
singingmake a sound with closed lips
  • She likes to hum her favorite songs.
buzz drone murmur
2.
soundmake a low, steady continuous sound
  • The refrigerator began to hum quietly in the corner..
buzz drone
3.
busy placebe full of activity and noise
  • The market was humming with shoppers.
buzz whirr
Add a suggestion |

Expressions with hum

💡 Discover popular phrases, idioms, collocations, or phrasal verbs. Click any expression to learn more, listen to its pronunciation, or save it to your favorites.
show hesitation or indecision before making a choice or answer
She hum and hawed before agreeing to the proposal.
cause a process to run smoothly and efficiently
She knows how to make things hum in the office.
hesitate or be indecisive
She will hum and haw before making any decision.
be full of busy and lively activity
The market hums with activity every Saturday.
ho-humadj.
not interesting or exciting, often making people feel tired
The movie was ho-hum and I almost fell asleep.
be full of energetic activity creating many new ideas or methods
The small startup continues to hum with innovation despite limited resources.

Origin of hum

Middle English, hummen (to buzz)

Terms with hum included in their meaning

💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.
soft singing
sing or hum softly in a low voice
sound
resembling a continuous hum or buzz
music toy
simple instrument making a buzzing sound when you hum

Examples of hum in a sentence

  • He recognized the hum from the next room.
  • The hum of the air conditioner was soothing.
  • A gentle hum filled the room as the machine started.
  • The hum of conversation filled the room.
  • The hum of machinery was constant in the factory.
  • The amplifier's hum was quite distracting.

View all translations of hum

Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
  1. French:fredonnement, fredonner, ...
  2. German:Summen, summen, ...
  3. Italian:canticchiare, mormorare, ...
  4. Spanish:tarareo, tararear, ...
  5. Portuguese:cantarolar, murmurar, ...
  6. Chinese:哼声, 哼, ...
  7. Japanese:ハミング, ハミングする, ...
  8. Arabic:دَندَنَة, دَنْدَنَ, ...
  9. Hebrew:הֲמָהוּם, לְזַמְזֵם, ...
  10. Russian:гул, напевать, ...
  11. Ukrainian:гудіння, наспівувати, ...
  12. Hindi:गुनगुनाहट, गुनगुनाना, ...
HUM
hʌm

Definition of HUM - Reverso English Dictionary

Abbreviation

abr: HumanTECH.relating to people or mankindTECH.
  • The HUM gene is important in research.
  • HUM studies focus on human behavior.
  • The HUM project explores social trends.
human person
Add a suggestion |

View all translations of HUM

Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
  1. French:abréviation de " humain ", ...
  2. German:menschlich, ...
  3. Italian:umano, ...
  4. Spanish:HUM, ...
  5. Portuguese:Humano, ...
  6. Chinese:人类, ...
  7. Japanese:ヒト, ...
  8. Arabic:بَشَرِي, ...
  9. Hebrew:אֱנוֹשִׁי, ...
  10. Russian:HUM, ...
  11. Ukrainian:люд., ...
  12. Hindi:ह्यूम, ...

Discover how Reverso redefines the dictionary

Go beyond “simple words”

Get more than a simple definition

Go from understanding to mastery