Definition

1. Noun:

   • A low, continuous, droning sound: A steady, often indistinct noise, like that made by machinery, insects, or a crowd.
   • A state of busy, subdued activity: A figurative sense describing an atmosphere of quiet but constant and productive work or preparation.

2. Verb:

   • To make a low, continuous sound: To produce a steady, droning noise without distinct words or melody.
   • To sing with closed lips: To produce a musical tune without opening the mouth or articulating words.
   • To be active or busy: To be in a state of lively, often quiet, activity.

Examples

• Noun:

  • The constant hum of the air conditioner was soothing.
  • There was a low hum of conversation in the café.
  • The factory was in a constant hum of production.

• Verb:

  • The old refrigerator hums in the kitchen.
  • She hummed a tune while she worked.
  • The office hums with activity every morning.

Advanced Usage

• "to make things hum": To cause a place or activity to become very busy, active, and efficient.

  • The new manager really made things hum in the department.

• "hum and haw" (also "hem and haw"): To hesitate, be indecisive, or speak in a vague or evasive way.

  • Stop humming and hawing and give me a straight answer.

Variants and Related Words

• Humming (n/adj): The act or sound of humming; producing a hum.

  • The humming of bees filled the garden.

• Hummingbird (n): A small bird whose wings make a humming sound in flight. (This is a distinct compound noun, not a direct variant of the verb/noun "hum").

Synonyms

• Buzz: A low, continuous humming or murmuring sound.
• Drone: A continuous low humming sound.
• Murmur: A low, continuous, indistinct sound, often of voices.
• Croon: To sing or hum in a soft, low voice.

Related Phrasal Verbs / Phrases

• Hum along: To hum in accompaniment to music or another sound.
  • He hummed along to the song on the radio.

Related Idioms

• "The hum of the city": Refers to the collective, constant background noise of urban life.
  • She missed the familiar hum of the city when she moved to the countryside.

Noun

1. a humming noise
   • the hum of distant traffic
2. an Islamic fundamentalist group in Pakistan that fought the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s; now operates as a terrorist organization primarily in Kashmir and seeks Kashmir's accession by Pakistan
3. the state of being or appearing to be actively engaged in an activity
   • they manifested all the busyness of a pack of beavers
   • there is a constant hum of military preparation

Verb

1. make a low continuous sound
   • The refrigerator is humming
2. sound with a monotonous hum
3. be noisy with activity
   • This office is buzzing with activity
4. sing with closed lips
   • She hummed a melody