Hum

Definition: Hum

Hum

Noun

1. A humming noise; "the hum of distant traffic".

Verb

1. Sing with closed lips; "She hummed a melody".

2. Be noisy with activity; "This office is buzzing with activity".

3. Sound with a monotonous hum.

4. Make a low continuous sound; "The refrigerator is humming".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "hum" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1050. (references)

Aerospace

Electrical Engineering

Geography

Post & Telecom

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

hum

Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

Synonyms: Hum

Activity

Press of business, no sinecure, plenty to do, many irons in the fire, great doings, busy hum of men, battle of life, thick of the action.

Phrase: carpe diem; (opportunity); nulla dies sine linea; nec mora nec requies; the plot thickens; No sooner said than done; (early); "veni vidi vici"; catch a weasel asleep; abends wird der Faule fleissig; dictum ac factum; schwere Arbeit in der Jugend ist sanfte Ruhe im Alter; "the busy hum of men ".

Deception

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; (influence); gild the pill, make things pleasant, divert, put a good face upon; dissemble.

Irresolution

Verb: be irresolute; Adjective: hang in suspense, keep in suspense; leave "ad referendum"; think twice about, pause; dawdle; (inactivity); remain neuter; dillydally, hesitate, boggle, hover, dacker, hum and haw, demur, not know one's own mind; debate, balance; dally with, coquet with; will and will not, chaser-balancer; go halfway, compromise, make a compromise; be thrown off one's balance, stagger like a drunken man; be afraid; let "I dare not" wait upon "I would"; falter, waver

Stammering

Verb: stammer, stutter, hesitate, falter, hammer; balbutiate, balbucinate, haw, hum and haw, be unable to put two words together.

Untruth

Invention, fabrication, fiction; fable, nursery tale; romance; (imagination); 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, fairy tale, fake; claptrap.

Crosswords: Hum

Swedish (inkling, smattering, um).

Then I'll write a song and we'll put it in the show and whenever you sing it or hear it. Or whistle or hum it then you'll know (Moulin Rouge!; writing credit: Baz Luhrmann; Craig Pearce)

You hum itI'll smash your face in. (The Young Ones; writing credit: Ben Elton; Rik Mayall)

Hum dum dee dum, hum dum dee dum, I'm so rumbly in my tumbly (The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh; writing credit: Ken Anderson; Xavier Atencio)

Ooh! Time to munch an early lunchin', hum dee dum dum dum. Oh, I wouldn't climb this tree if a Pooh flew like a bee, but I wouldn't be a bear then, so I guess I wouldn't care then (The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh; writing credit: Ken Anderson; Xavier Atencio)

Eye of rabbit, heartstring hum, turn this water into rum. (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone; writing credit: Steven Kloves)

And a hum drum ways (The Dean And I; performing artist: 10CC)

The birds and bees they hum along (Androgyny; performing artist: Garbage)

Hup two, hum (Any Man Of Mine; performing artist: Shania Twain)

um hum (Living for the City; performing artist: Stevie Wonder)

I don't want to hum another melody (I Don't Want To; performing artist: Toni Braxton)

Kahani Hum Sab Ki (1973)

Hum Ek Hain (1969)

Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere (1960)

Hum Sab Chor Hain (1956)

Om mani padme hum (1929)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• Agapanthus Hum and the Eyeglasses (Puffin Easy-To-Read. Level 3) (reference)

• How to Make Your Church Hum (reference)

• Hum of Hushed Voices (reference)

• The Hum (reference)

• The Hum Bug: A Novel (reference)

  (more book examples)

Theater & Movies

• U2 - Rattle and Hum (reference)

• U2: Rattle & Hum (reference)

  (more DVD examples; more video examples)

Music

• Rattle and Hum [LIVE] (reference)

• The Golden Hum (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

High Tech

• HOSA HUM ELIMINATOR (reference)

• HOSA XLR (F) - XLR (M) COUPLER--GROUND LIFT HUM STOPPER (reference)

  (more camera examples; more video game examples; more computer examples; more electronic examples; more software examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Pogo]. Hum -- the school is in a football huddl. Credit: Library of Congress.

Ho hum! The good news is out --. Credit: Library of Congress.

I live not in myself, but I become a portion of that around me; and to me high mountains are a feeling, and the hum of human cities torture --. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Nobody was seen to speak in this throng, and still there came from it a deep and dull hum.

Heron, beside Stephen, began to hum tunelessly

The high hum of the motor dulled and the song of the tires dropped in pitch

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Expressions using "hum": amplifier hum ♦ busy hum of men ♦ he makes things hum ♦ hum and haw ♦ hum bars ♦ hum modulation ♦ hum paste ♦ hum suppression ♦ hum with activity ♦ make things hum ♦ venous hum. Additional references.

Beginning with "hum": hum-drum, hum-free, hum-line, hum-mans.

Ending with "hum": anti-hum, ho-hum, mm-hum.

Albanian

zukat (buzz, drone, drum), lëvroj (circulate, cultivate), lëvrij (circulate, cultivate), këndoj nën zë (croon), jam aktiv, gumëzhin (buzz, drone, drum, whir, whirr, whiz, whizz), bubërroj (dabble, Potter), bën zhurmë, bëj hm. (various references)

Arabic 

‏همهمة (murmur, rumble), ‏همهم (mutter, repine, sough), ‏نشط (activate, active, animate, bestir oneself, brisk, buoyant, elevate, ginger, harden, invigorate, live, liven, pep up, perk up, pick up, practising, pushing, quick, quicken, reactivate, rekindle, revive, rouse, stimulate, stringent, strong, vivify, waken), ‏ترنم بكذا, ‏سخن (broil, chafe, heat, heat up, mull, overheat, overheating, run in, scald, stoke, stove, warm up, worm oneself), ‏دندنة (croon, drone, mutter, muttering, singing), ‏دندن (croon, drone, mumble, sing, warble). (various references)

Bulgarian 

тананикам със затворена уста, воня (fetidness, fetor, pong, reek, smell, stench, stink), оживление (activity, animation, hoopla, liveliness, movement, rally, uplift), мънкане (mumble, mumbling, mutter), мънкам (ha, mouth, mumble, mutter, say smth. under one's breath), бучене (humming, ringing, roar, thunder, zoom), буча (ring, sing, thunder), бръмчене (boom, burr, buzz, humming, ping, purr, whir, whirr, zoom), бръмча (boom, burr, buzz, drone, drum, ha, ping, purr, ring, sing, whir, whirr), далечен шум. (various references)

Chinese 

�"�聲 , �"� , 嗡嗡声, 嗡嗡 (buzz, drone). (various references)

Czech

hukot (drone, howl, sound, throb), huèet (drone, roar, throb), huèení (burr, hoot, whir, whirr), zavánìt, zápach (fetidness, mephitic, odor, odour, reek, scent, smell), vrèet (be grumpy, grouch, grouse, growl, grumble, purr, snarl, whir, whirr), smrdìt (smell, smell bad, stink), puch (stench, stink), mumlat (Maunder, mumble, murmur, mutter), bzuèet (buzz, drone, whir, whirr), bzuèení (drone, humming, whir, whirr), broukat si (burble, croon), šum (buzz, ripple). (various references)

Danish

netbrum (hum bars), ketalaks (calico salmon, chum salmon, dog salmon, fall salmon, keta salmon, qualla), karst bakke (haystack hill, karst tower, mogote, pepino), brum (hum bars). (various references)

Dutch

snorren (buzz, look, seek), razen (be infuriated, buzz), gonzen (buzz), brommen (buzz, murmur, mutter). (various references)

Esperanto

zumi (buzz). (various references)

Faeroese

surra (buzz). (various references)

Farsi 

فریب دادن (Bob, Cheat, Deceive, Delude, Dissimulate, Doin, Fool, Hoodwink, Humbug, Jape, Mislead), همهمه کردن , وزوزکردن (Bombinate, Buzz, Drone), زمزمه کردن (Croon, Murmur), درفعالیت بودن . (various references)

Finnish

surista (buzz, drone, whir). (various references)

French

bourdonner, ronronner. (various references)

German

summen (buzz, croon, drone, fizzling, humming, purr, sing away, sing out, singing, sums, to buzz, to croon, totals), brummen (be kept in, be locked up, buzz, drone, grouch, grouse, growl, grumble, humming, mumble, mutter, to buzz, to drone, whir). (various references)

Greek 

σολομός κέτα (calico salmon, chum salmon, dog salmon, fall salmon, keta salmon, qualla), βόμβος (tinnitus), βομβώ (boom, buzz, drone), βομβός, βουητό, βουΰζω, βουίζω (drone), βοΰζω, υποτονθορύζω, χάμ, λόφος μάρτυρας (haystack hill, karst tower, mogote, pepino), θόρυβος (noise). (various references)

Hebrew 

לפזם (whistle), לזמזם (buzz, croon, drone, whir, whirr), ל�"מות (rage, roar, shout), זמזום (buzz, humming, whir, whirr), �"מ�"ום (murmur, rustling, stammer), טרטור (blast, harassment, noise, rattle). (various references)

Hungarian

zümmögés (abuzz, buzz, drone, droning, humming, singing, whirr). (various references)

Indonesian

mengiang (buzz, continually whine), dengungan (bellow, buzz, drone, propaganda, wail), berdengung (buzz, drone, resound, wail). (various references)

Italian

ronzio (buzz, buzzing, drone, humming, rumbling, whir, zoom). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

羽音 (buzz), ハトロン紙 (agreed, Armageddon, falling rapidly in big drops, good, haddock, hafnium, halation, halberd, Halley, ham, ham and eggs, ham and salad, Hamilton, Hamming, Hammond organ, hamster, Hanoi, happening, Harrier, Harry, hashed meat with rice, heart going pit-a-pat, honey, honeymoon, Honeywell, Hubbard, humming, hurricane, kraft paper, resin, rosefish, splendid, style of clothing popular in the late 1970s and resembling a Catholic school uniform, to be in harmony, to harmonize, twitterpating, wonderful), 沈吟 (groaning in distress, meditation, painstaking elaboration on ones poem), 低吟 (singing in a low voice), 低�"� (singing softly). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

ハ� (ham), はおと (buzz), ていぎ�" (singing in a low voice), ていしょう (advocacy, good omen, proposal, singing softly), ち�"ぎ�" (groaning in distress, meditation, painstaking elaboration on ones poem, pay, wages). (various references)

Korean 

윙윙. (various references)

Manx

thassane (babbling, buzz, buzz of crowd, buzzing, hiss, murmuring, twitter, twittering), cronnaney (boom, croon, drone, purr, sing), cronnane (babble, buzz, drone, purr, whirr). (various references)

Norwegian

summe, nynne. (various references)

Pig Latin

umhay.(various references)

Portuguese

zumbir (bum, buzz, drone, fizz, ha, sing, whirr, whistle), zumbido (buzz, dog-bee, drone, fizz, ringing, tingle, tinnitus, whirr, whiz, whizz). (various references)

Romanian

murmur (babble, babbling, Bicker, brawl, chatter, garrulity, moan, mumbling, murmur, mutter, prattle, rhubarb, ripple, rustle, rustling, warble), îngânare, bâzâi (buzz, cry, drone, growl, grumble, ping, whimper, whizz), bâzâit (boo-hoo, buzz, drone, ping, whimpering, whining, whiz), fi în plinã activitate, freamãt (bustle, commotion, lisp, murmur, quiver, riot, rioting, riotousness, roaring, rush, rustle, rustling, sough, stir, storm, thrill, tremor, tumult, uproar, vibration, whir), fredona (croon, murmur, vocalize), îngâna (combine), mirosuri urâte, zvon (breeze, bruit, cry, gossip, grape vine, hearsay, idle rumor, idle rumour, noise, peal, report, ringing, rumor, rumour, story, talk), sfârâi (buzz, chirp, roar, sizzle, sputter), susura (babble, Bicker, brawl, chatter, gurgle, murmur, Pearl, prattle, purl, ripple, swish), vui (boom, roar, rumble), vuiet (din, hubbub, noise, roar, roaring, rumble, sough), zbârnâi (buzz, drone, tingle, twang, whirr, whiz), zumzãi (buzz), zumzet (buzz, buzzing, murmur, zoom), fredonare. (various references)

Russian 

говорить запинаясь (splutter), напевать;жужжать жужжание;гул, напевать с закрытым ртом. (various references)

Scottish

srann (a snore, buzz, snore, snort), dranndan (murmur), crònan (a dirge, croon, purling sound). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

zujati (buzz, drone, whir, zoom), pevušiti (croon), žamoriti (babble, ripple), šumiti (murmur, rustle). (various references)

Spanish

zumbido (bur, burr, buzz, buzzing, drone, ringing, singing, tingle, whir, whirr, whiz, whizz). (various references)

Swedish

surra (buzz, drone, house, lash, seize, whir, whirr, whiz, whizz, zoom), surr (buzz, drone, whir, whirr, whiz, whizz), gnola (croon), brum (ripple). (various references)

Thai

ฮัม, วุ่นวาย (hectic). (various references)

Turkish

harıl harıl çalışmak (beaver away, dig, hum with activity, plug, plug away, plug away at, work like a beaver), hımlamak (haw, hem), hımlama, vızır vızır çalışmak (hum with activity), vızıltı (buzz, drone, ping, sibilance, whiz, whizz, zing, zip), vızıldamak (buzz, drone, ping, sing, whiz, whizz, whoosh), vızıldama, vınlamak (sing, swish, whistle, whiz, whizz, whoosh, zing, zip, zoom), vınlama (whistle, whistling, whiz, whizz, zing, zip), uğultu (boom, buzzing, clatter, howl, humming, ping, roar, roaring, singing, sough), uğuldamak (boom, buzz, howl, murmur, ping, roar, scream, sing, sough, whistle), mırıltı (grumbling, mumble, murmur, mutter), mırıldanmak (coo, croon, fret and fume, grizzle, grumble, mump, murmur, mutter, pur, purr). (various references)

Turkmen 

hyzlamak (buzz), gьwwьldemek (buzz). (various references)

Ukrainian

рокотати (boom), хмикати, гудіння (boom, booming, buzz, whir, whirr, zoom), гомін (babble, buzz, charm, chirm, clabber, clamor, clamour, hullabaloo, jangle, noise), дзижчати (boom, buzz, chirrup, ping, whir, whirr, zoom), дзижчання (boom, booming, buzz, humming, ping, whir, whirr). (various references)

Welsh

suo (buzz, hush, lull), suad (buzzing, lulling), su (buzz, murmur), mwmian (mumble), chwyrnu (snarl, snore). (various references)

murmurabant, murmurabit, murmurantem, murmurantes, murmurantium, murmurare, murmurarent, murmurastis, murmurat, murmurati, murmuratores, murmuraveritis, murmuraverunt, murmuravit, murmuretis, Oncorhynchus keta, Oncorhynchus keta (Walbaum,1792), susurrabant, susurrio, susurro. (various references)

Derivations

Words beginning with "hum": human, humane, humanely, humaneness, humanenesses, humaner, humanest, humanise, humanised, humanises, humanising, humanism, humanisms, humanist, humanistic, humanistically, humanists, humanitarian, humanitarianism, humanitarianisms, humanitarians, humanities, humanity, humanization, humanizations, humanize, humanized, humanizer, humanizers, humanizes, humanizing, humankind, humanlike, humanly, humanness, humannesses, humanoid, humanoids, humans, humate, humates, humble, humbled, humbleness, humblenesses, humbler, humblers, humbles, humblest, humbling, humblingly. (additional references)

Words ending with "hum": chum, sorghum. (additional references)

Words containing "hum": antihuman, antihumanism, antihumanisms, antihumanistic, antihumanitarian, antihumanitarians, bethump, bethumped, bethumping, bethumps, callithump, callithumpian, callithumps, catechumen, catechumens, chummed, chummier, chummiest, chummily, chumminess, chumminesses, chumming, chummy, chump, chumped, chumping, chumps, chums, chumship, chumships, dehumanization, dehumanizations, dehumanize, dehumanized, dehumanizes, dehumanizing, dehumidification, dehumidifications, dehumidified, dehumidifier, dehumidifiers, dehumidifies, dehumidify, dehumidifying, exhumation, exhumations, exhume, exhumed, exhumer, exhumers, exhumes. (additional references)

Misspellings

"Hum" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: ahum, Ahuma, eum, ghom, ghum, hamb, hamm, hcu, hemm, heun, Hhmi, himb, himo, himy, himz, hiom, hmd, Hmu, hoam, hoim, hom, homg, homh, Homm, homu, houm, howm, Hpu, hsm, htm, Htun, hu, hua, huc, hui, huj, huk, hulm, huma, humb, humi, Humko, Humm, hummm, humn, humo, huni, hunz, huo, hup, hur, hurm, Huu, huv, hux, huy, huz, hvm, hwu, hym, Hyuk, Hyum, hyun, Khum, Kum, nhu, Ohsumi, oum, phrum, rhum, Uhh, Uhhh, uhl, uhn, uhv, wum. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

-1 letter: hm, mu, uh, um.

+1 letter: chum, hump, hums, much, mush.

+2 letters: bumph, chump, chums, haulm, hilum, hokum, human, humic, humid, humor, humph, humps, humpy, humus, khoum, mohur, mouch, mouth, muhly, mulch, munch, mushy, musth, mutch, rheum, rhumb, thrum, thumb, thump, whump.

+3 letters: ambush, bumphs, chummy, chumps, exhume, fulham, hamaul, hamuli, haulms, haulmy, heaume, helium, hokums, humane, humans, humate, humble, humbly, humbug, humeri, hummed, hummer, hummus, humors, humour, humped, humphs, humvee, inhume, khoums, mahout, mohurs, mouths, mouthy, muches, muchly, mulish, mullah, murphy, murrha, mushed, musher, mushes, musths, muzhik, phylum, rheums, rheumy, rhumba, rhumbs, samshu, shamus, shlump, shmuck, smutch, sumach, thrums, thumbs, thumps, thymus, unhelm, unmesh, whumps.