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Hum   /həm/   Listen
noun
Hum  n.  
1.
A low monotonous noise, as of bees in flight, of a swiftly revolving top, of a wheel, or the like; a drone; a buzz. "The shard-borne beetle with his drowsy hums."
2.
Any inarticulate and buzzing sound; as:
(a)
The confused noise of a crowd or of machinery, etc., heard at a distance; as, the hum of industry. "But 'midst the crowd, the hum, the shock of men."
(b)
A buzz or murmur, as of approbation.
3.
An imposition or hoax.
4.
An inarticulate nasal sound or murmur, like h'm, uttered by a speaker in pause from embarrassment, affectation, etc. "These shrugs, these hums and ha's."
5.
A kind of strong drink formerly used. (Obs.)
Venous hum. See under Venous.


verb
Hum  v. t.  
1.
To sing with shut mouth; to murmur without articulation; to mumble; as, to hum a tune.
2.
To express satisfaction with by humming.
3.
To flatter by approving; to cajole; to impose on; to humbug. (Colloq. & Low)


Hum  v. i.  (past & past part. hummed; pres. part. humming)  
1.
To make a low, prolonged sound, like that of a bee in flight; to drone; to murmur; to buzz; as, a top hums. "Still humming on, their drowsy course they keep."
2.
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. "The cloudy messenger turns me his back, And hums."
3.
To make an inarticulate sound, like h'm, through the nose in the process of speaking, from embarrassment or a affectation; to hem.
4.
To express satisfaction by a humming noise. "Here the spectators hummed." Note: Formerly the habit of audiences was to express gratification by humming and displeasure by hissing.
5.
To have the sensation of a humming noise; as, my head hums, a pathological condition.


interjection
Hum  interj.  Ahem; hem; an inarticulate sound uttered in a pause of speech implying doubt and deliberation.





Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48


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"Hum" Quotes from Famous Books



... post-chaise; and between whiles busied herself in adjusting the blankets, so as to protect her father from the cold, and in answering inquiries, which he seemed to make with a captious and querulous manner. She did not trust herself to look towards the Place, although the hum of the assembled crowd must have drawn her attention in that direction. The fourth person of the group was a handsome and genteel young man, who seemed to share Miss Bertram's anxiety, and her solicitude to soothe and accommodate ...
— Guy Mannering • Sir Walter Scott
... yer things in yer room," said the old man, and handing him a lamp he added, "ye know whar 'tis now, I hope, so make yerself tew hum." ...
— Uncle Terry - A Story of the Maine Coast • Charles Clark Munn
... rose to Stephen's mind a memory of an old churchyard with great trees and the scent of many flowers, and a child's voice that sounded harsh through the monotonous hum of bees: ...
— The Man • Bram Stoker
... Rochechouart, a few streets off. All Saturday and Sunday we were a prey to great alarm, there came so many reports that the insurgents were getting the upper hand. One could tell the state of affairs from the extreme quiet or the sudden hum in the street. When the news was bad, all the houses closed and the people disappeared; when better, the doors half opened and you heard the sound of men again. From the upper windows we could see each discharge ...
— The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson, Volume 9 • Robert Louis Stevenson
... the director and founder of the local commercial bank, began to hum in a pleasant basso, beating time with his fingers on his ...
— Foma Gordyeff - (The Man Who Was Afraid) • Maxim Gorky


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