hum

• POS: Interjection, Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

hum, v. i. [Of imitative origin; cf. G. hummen, D. hommelen.

•  To make a low, prolonged sound, like that of a bee in flight; to drone; to murmur; to buzz; as, a top hums.  P. Fletcher.  [1913 Webster]

  "Still humming on, their drowsy course they keep."  [1913 Webster]
•  To make a nasal sound, like that of the letter m prolonged, without opening the mouth, or articulating; to mumble in monotonous undertone; to drone.  [1913 Webster]

  "The cloudy messenger turns me his back,
  And hums."  [1913 Webster]
•  To make an inarticulate sound, like h'm, through the nose in the process of speaking, from embarrassment or a affectation; to hem.  [1913 Webster]
•  To express satisfaction by a humming noise.  [1913 Webster]

  " Formerly the habit of audiences was to express gratification by humming and displeasure by hissing."  [1913 Webster]

  "Here the spectators hummed."  [1913 Webster]
•  To have the sensation of a humming noise; as, my head hums, -- a pathological condition.  [1913 Webster]

hum, v. t. 

•  To sing with shut mouth; to murmur without articulation; to mumble; as, to hum a tune.  [1913 Webster]
•  To express satisfaction with by humming.  [1913 Webster]
•  To flatter by approving; to cajole; to impose on; to humbug.  [1913 Webster]

hum, n. 

•  A low monotonous noise, as of bees in flight, of a swiftly revolving top, of a wheel, or the like; a drone; a buzz.  [1913 Webster]

  "The shard-borne beetle with his drowsy hums."  [1913 Webster]
•  Any inarticulate and buzzing sound  [1913 Webster]

  "But 'midst the crowd, the hum, the shock of men."
•  An imposition or hoax.  [1913 Webster]
•  An inarticulate nasal sound or murmur, like h'm, uttered by a speaker in pause from embarrassment, affectation, etc.  [1913 Webster]

  "These shrugs, these hums and ha's."  [1913 Webster]
•  A kind of strong drink formerly used.  Beau. & Fl.  [1913 Webster]

Venous hum. See under Venous.

hum, interj. [Cf. Hem, interj.].

 Ahem; hem; an inarticulate sound uttered in a pause of speech implying doubt and deliberation.  Pope.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

hum, v. & n.
--v. (hummed, humming)
1 intr. make a low steady continuous sound like that of a bee.
2 tr. (also absol.) sing (a wordless tune) with closed lips.
3 intr. utter a slight inarticulate sound.
4 intr. colloq. be in an active state (really made things hum).
5 intr. Brit. colloq. smell unpleasantly.
--n.
1 a humming sound.
2 an unwanted low-frequency noise caused by variation of electric current, usu. the alternating frequency of the mains, in an amplifier etc.
3 Brit. colloq. a bad smell.

Idiom

hum and haw (or ha) hesitate, esp. in speaking.

Derivative

hummable adj. hummer n.

hum, int. expressing hesitation or dissent.

Etymology

imit.

THESAURUS

hum

Indian file, anthem, array, articulation, ballad, bank, bel canto, birdies, birr, blooping, blurping, bombilate, bombilation, bombinate, bombination, boom, booming, bravura, bum, burr, buzz, buzzing, carol, catena, catenation, chain, chain reaction, chaining, chant, chirp, chirrup, choir, choral singing, chorus, coloratura, concatenation, connection, consecution, continue the same, continuum, course, croon, crooning, cycle, descant, descent, distortion, do-re-mi, drag along, drag on, drone, droning, endless belt, endless round, falter, feedback, file, filiation, flutter, fluttering, folk singing, gamut, gradation, halt, haw, hem, hem and haw, hesitate, hissing, howling, hum and haw, humming, hymn, intonate, intonation, intone, lilt, line, lineage, low rumbling, lyricism, mammer, minstrel, monotone, motorboating, nexus, operatic singing, pendulum, periodicity, persist, pipe, plenum, powder train, prevail, progression, psalm, purr, purring, quaver, queue, range, rank, recurrence, reticulation, rotation, roulade, round, routine, row, rumble, run, run through, scale, scat, scat singing, scratching, sequence, serenade, series, shake, shredding, sing, sing in chorus, singing, single file, sol-fa, sol-fa exercise, solfeggio, solmizate, solmization, song, spectrum, squeals, stammer, static, string, stumble, stutter, succession, swath, thread, thrum, thrumming, tier, tonic sol-fa, train, tremolo, trill, troll, tweedle, tweedledee, twit, twitter, vocal music, vocalization, vocalize, warble, warbling, whir, whirring, whistle, whistles, whiz, whizzing, windrow, woomping, wow, wowwows, yodel, yodeling

ROGET THESAURUS

hum

Faintness

N faintness, faint sound, whisper, breath, undertone, underbreath, murmur, hum, susurration, tinkle, still small voice, hoarseness, raucity, inaudible, scarcely audible, just audible, low, dull, stifled, muffled, hoarse, husky, gentle, soft, faint, floating, purling, flowing, whispered, liquid, soothing, dulcet, susurrant, susurrous, in a whisper, with bated breath, sotto voce, between the teeth, aside, piano, pianissimo, d la sourdine, out of earshot inaudibly, (ii) SPECIFIC SOUNDS.

VB whisper, breathe, murmur, purl, hum, gurgle, ripple, babble, flow, tinkle, mutter, susurrate, steal on the ear, melt in the air, float on the air.

Roll

N roll, drumming, berloque, bombination, rumbling, tattoo, drumroll, dingdong, tantara, rataplan, whirr, ratatat, ratatat-tat, rubadub, pitapat, quaver, clutter, charivari, racket, cuckoo, repetition, peal of bells, devil's tattoo, reverberation, clickety-clack, hum, purr, hummingbird, cat, kitten (animal sounds), rolling, monotonous, like a bee in a bottle.

VB roll, drum, rumble, rattle, clatter, patter, clack, bombinate, hum, trill, shake, chime, peal, toll, tick, beat, drum in the ear, din in the ear.

Ululation

VB cry, roar, bellow, blare, rebellow, growl, snarl, bark, bow-wow, yelp, bay, bay at the moon, yap, yip, yipe, growl, yarr, yawl, snarl, howl, grunt, gruntle, snort, squeak neigh, whinny, bray, mew, mewl, meow, purr, caterwaul, pule, baa, bleat, low, moo, troat, croak, peep, coo, gobble, quack, honk, gaggle, guggle, crow, caw, squawk, screech cackle, cluck, clack, chuck, chuckle, hoot, hoo, chirp, cheep, chirrup, twitter, cuckoo, warble, trill, tweet, pipe, whistle, hum, buzz, hiss, blatter, ratatat.

Musician

VB play, pipe, strike up, sweep the chords, tweedle, fiddle, strike the lyre, beat the drum, blow the horn, sound the horn, wind the horn, doodle, grind the organ, touch the guitar, thrum, strum, beat time, execute, perform, accompany, sing a second, play a second, compose, set to music, arrange, sing, chaunt, chant, hum, warble, carol, chirp, chirrup, lilt, purl, quaver, trill, shake, twitter, whistle, sol-fa, intone, have an ear for music, have a musical ear, have a correct ear.

Deception

VB deceive, take in, defraud, cheat, jockey, do, cozen, diddle, nab, chouse, play one false, bilk, cully, jilt, bite, pluck, swindle, victimize, abuse, mystify, blind one's eyes, blindfold, hoodwink, throw dust into the eyes, dupe, gull, hoax, fool, befool, bamboozle, flimflam, hornswoggle, trick, impose upon, practice upon, play upon, put upon, palm off on, palm upon, foist upon, snatch a verdict, bluff off, bluff, bunko, four flush, gum, spoof, stuff (a ballot box), circumvent, overreach, outreach, out wit, out maneuver, steal a march upon, give the go-by, to leave in the lurch decoy, waylay, lure, beguile, delude, inveigle, entrap, intrap, ensnare, nick, springe, set a trap, lay a trap, lay a snare for, bait the hook, forelay, spread the toils, lime, trapan, trepan, kidnap, let in, hook in, nousle, nousel, blind a trail, enmesh, immesh, shanghai, catch, catch in a trap, sniggle, entangle, illaqueate, hocus, escamoter, practice on one's credulity, hum, humbug, gammon, stuff up, sell, play a trick upon one, play a practical joke upon one, put something over on one, put one over on, balk, trip up, throw a tub to a whale, fool to the top of one's bent, send on a fool's errand, make game, make a fool of, make an April fool of, make an ass of, trifle with, cajole, flatter, come over, gild the pill, make things pleasant, divert, put a good face upon, dissemble, cog, cog the dice, load the dice, stack the deck, live by one's wits, play at hide and seek, obtain money under false pretenses, conjure, juggle, practice chicanery, deacon, play off, palm off, foist off, fob-off, lie, misinform, mislead, betray, be deceived.

Untruth

N untruth, falsehood, lie, story, thing that is not, fib, bounce, crammer, taradiddle, whopper, jhuth, forgery, fabrication, invention, misstatement, misrepresentation, perversion, falsification, gloss, suggestio falsi, exaggeration, invention, fabrication, fiction, fable, nursery tale, romance, absurd story, untrue story, false story, trumped up story, trumped up statement, thing devised by the enemy, canard, shave, sell, hum, traveler's tale, Canterbury tale, cock and bull story, fairy tale, fake, claptrap, press agent's yarn, puff, puffery (exaggeration), myth, moonshine, bosh, all my eye and Betty Martin, mare's nest, farce, irony, half truth, white lie, pious fraud, mental reservation, pretense, pretext, false plea, subterfuge, evasion, shift, shuffle, make-believe, sham, profession, empty words, Judas kiss, disguise, untrue, false, phony, trumped up, void of foundation, without- foundation, fictive, far from the truth, false as dicer's oaths, unfounded, ben trovato, invented, fabulous, fabricated, forged, fictitious, factitious, supposititious, surreptitious, elusory, illusory, ironical, soi-disant, se non e vero e ben trovato, where none is meant that meets the ear.

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