I. hum 1 /hʌm/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle hummed , present participle humming )
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Origin: From the sound ]
1 . [intransitive and transitive] to sing a tune by making a continuous sound with your lips closed
hum to yourself
Tony was humming to himself as he drove along.
He began to hum a tune.
2 . [intransitive] to make a low continuous sound:
Machines hummed on the factory floor.
3 . [intransitive] if a place hums, it is full of activity – use this to show approval ⇨ busy :
By nine o'clock, the restaurant was humming.
hum with
The streets were humming with life.
4 . hum and haw British English to take a long time deciding what to say or do ⇨ hesitate SYN hem and haw American English
II. hum 2 BrE AmE noun [singular]
1 . a low continuous sound
hum of
the distant hum of traffic
2 . hum of excitement/approval etc the sound of people talking because they are excited etc
• • •
THESAURUS
■ a quiet sound
▪ hum a quiet low continuous sound, especially from electrical equipment, traffic, an engine, or people’s conversation:
The only sound was the faint hum of the air-conditioning unit.
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He could hear the hum of distant traffic.
▪ rustle a continuous quiet sound from papers, leaves, or clothes when they rub together:
She heard the rustle of dried leaves behind her.
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the rustle of silk dresses
▪ murmur a quiet low continuous sound, especially from people’s voices that are far away:
The murmur of voices died away.
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They spoke in a low murmur.
▪ rumble a series of long low sounds, especially from big guns, traffic, or ↑ thunder :
I heard a rumble of thunder.
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the low rumble of a train approaching