I. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
humming bird
hum/whistle a tune
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She was humming a little tune to herself.
the roar/rumble/hum of traffic
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The only noise was the distant rumble of traffic on the coastal road.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
along
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The rest of the production hums along .
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The windows of the car were open and they hummed along at a steady cruising speed meeting very little traffic.
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Madeline hummed along with the jukebox.
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Kylie would spend hours listening to the radio, singing or humming along the latest hits.
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While my attentions have been engaged elsewhere, the nifty little device has been quietly humming along .
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Tonight, she and Andrew ought to have hummed along , two messages meeting on a wire.
softly
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Bridget picked up her sock doll and hummed softly .
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Only the power plant hummed softly , the aeration ponds murmuring.
■ NOUN
tune
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I found myself humming to the tune of the violin an old man was playing for sous.
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He was fifteen minutes humming a hymn tune as he did his toenails.
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Hrun hummed a little tune as he began to pull crumbling leather from the desecrated altar.
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Limbs and trunks rubbed together and intermingled, humming deep tunes like giant bass fiddles.
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And when I hummed old tunes that soothed my baby sister something in them spiked your grief to howling.
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The path narrowed, and Maude moved out in front, humming a tune Rob recognized.
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No one knew his name, but people hummed his tunes .
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She's humming a tune behind her silly smile.
■ VERB
begin
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Quietly, under my breath, I began humming Handel.
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Subconsciously I remembered then began to hum the Robinson Crusoe theme music.
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He began to hum along with the music.
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He began to hum a tune, dissociating himself, rolling a cigarette with easy movements.
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One of the three khthons began to hum a sorrowful melody.
start
▪
He started to hum through his nose.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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Carol hummed along to the song on the radio.
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Low interest rates make borrowing easier and keep the economy humming.
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Musicals are uplifting, and you are sure to leave the theatre humming a cheerful tune.
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Sewing machines hummed on the factory floor.
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She hummed softly to herself as she worked.
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The computer was still on, humming away.
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The refrigerator hummed softly in the corner.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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Hum of black machinery, humming hate and death and other hospital secrets.
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Limbs and trunks rubbed together and intermingled, humming deep tunes like giant bass fiddles.
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Quietly, under my breath, I began humming Handel.
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The volume of the world was turned up so the air molecules hummed a deep bass note.
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The windows of the car were open and they hummed along at a steady cruising speed meeting very little traffic.
II. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
low
▪
It rises to a low hum again when they see it's only him.
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There was a low hum of conversation.
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When he walked out the door, the town seemed dim, insubstantial, and filled with an ominous low hum .
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With the same amp settings the low hum single coils sing with almost the character of a Gibson P90.
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A low business-like hum sounded from inside it.
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The only sound is the low hum of the air conditioner.
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A cricket joins in, one of the lamps hums a low hum, but what I want to hear is Margaret.
■ VERB
hear
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From outside he could hear the muted hum of London's traffic.
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They heard a steady hum , which soon melted into a steady silence.
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She heard the hum of pleasant voices, and guessed she must be last down.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
the hum of the air conditioning
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the distant hum of traffic
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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Soft, now what be this hum ?
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The hum in the air was from pylons; a cold and nervous electrical hum.
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The electric light was burning and mixers and other equipment were making a steady hum .
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The steady hum of the drilling rigs and the rough growls of heavy machinery moving on the road smear the coastal quiet.
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There was a low hum of conversation.