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 WebRocio Fabbro, Quartz, 7 Aug. 2024
With fentanyl deaths spiking during the pandemic, law enforcement focused its attention primarily on the traffickers instead of the underground financial network that keeps the cartels’ operations humming, the former agents said.
—Lisa Cavazuti, NBC News, 3 Aug. 2024
And while the report will be updated twice in the weeks ahead, the strong preliminary estimate is an indication that the economy has been humming right along.
—Zachary Halaschak, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 July 2024
Although much of the economy is humming along, some pockets, such as housing and construction, have retreated more dramatically.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 26 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for hum 
Verb
Yiming Ma, associate professor in the finance division at Columbia Business School, said volatility in the markets is just an adjustment — something that has been long overdue as stocks have been humming along for the past two years.
—Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 7 Aug. 2024
With fentanyl deaths spiking during the pandemic, law enforcement focused its attention primarily on the traffickers instead of the underground financial network that keeps the cartels’ operations humming, the former agents said.
—Lisa Cavazuti, NBC News, 3 Aug. 2024
And while the report will be updated twice in the weeks ahead, the strong preliminary estimate is an indication that the economy has been humming right along.
—Zachary Halaschak, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 July 2024
Although much of the economy is humming along, some pockets, such as housing and construction, have retreated more dramatically.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 26 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for hum
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hum.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near hum
Cite this Entry
“Hum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hum. Accessed 20 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
hum
noun
: a sound like that made by humming
especially
: venous hum
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share