hummed; humming
1
a
: to utter a sound like that of the speech sound \m\ prolonged
humming along with the music
b
: to make the natural noise of an insect in motion or a similar sound : drone
listening to the bees hum in the garden
c
: to give forth a low continuous blend of sound
the sound of children's voices with which the house was always humming—
J. M. Brinnin
J. M. Brinnin2
a
: to be busily active
the museum hummed with visitors
b
: to run smoothly
the business started to hum
1
: to sing with the lips closed and without uttering speech sounds distinctly
hum a tune
2
: to express by making a vocal sound with the lips pressed together : to affect by humming
hummed his displeasure
hum
noun
hum
2 of 2chiefly British spelling of hem entry 3, hem entry 4
Synonyms
Examples of hum in a Sentence
Verb
The garden was humming with bees.
The refrigerator hummed in the background.
I was humming to myself.
We hummed along to the music.
I hummed a little song.
By noon, the office was really humming.
The restaurant hums on weekends.
Recent Examples on the Web
Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024
The question is whether the Fed can help keep the economy out of a recession now that it’s begun cutting interest rates to keep the job market humming.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024
If Antetokounmpo and Lillard take time to develop chemistry, this duo will be more than enough to keep the offense humming.
—Brian Sampson, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
To keep their economies humming, governments will likely turn to immigrants.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hum 
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Verb
Others volunteer to water plants, write a weekly newsletter, launder aprons, check on members who haven’t shown up in a while, and shoulder other tasks needed to keep the clubhouse humming.
—Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024
The question is whether the Fed can help keep the economy out of a recession now that it’s begun cutting interest rates to keep the job market humming.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024
If Antetokounmpo and Lillard take time to develop chemistry, this duo will be more than enough to keep the offense humming.
—Brian Sampson, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
To keep their economies humming, governments will likely turn to immigrants.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hum
Dictionary Entries Near hum
Cite this Entry
“Hum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hum. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
hum
noun
: a sound like that made by humming
especially
: venous hum
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