/ hʌʃ; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
1.
[ v ] (used especially in orders) to be quiet; to stop talking or crying :
Hush now and try to sleep.
2.
[ vn ] to make sb/sth become quieter; to make sb stop talking, crying, etc.
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PHRASAL VERBS
- hush sth up
■ noun
[ sing. , U ] a period of silence, especially following a lot of noise, or when people are expecting sth to happen :
There was a deathly hush in the theatre.
A hush descended over the waiting crowd.
( BrE , informal )
Can we have a bit of hush? (= please be quiet)
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent.: back-formation from obsolete husht silent (taken to be a past participle), from an interjection husht quiet! .