humming

noun · verb

Form of hum , present participle of hum.

Simple meaning

The sound of something that hums.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

huhming

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈhʌmɪŋ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

The sound of something that hums; a hum.

verb

present participle of hum
To make a sound from the vocal chords without pronouncing any real words, with one's lips closed.
“We are humming happily along with the music.”
present participle of hum
To express by humming.
“The team ominously hummed "We shall overcome" as they came back onto the field after the break.”
To drone like certain insects naturally do in motion, or sounding similarly
To buzz, be busily active like a beehive
“The streets were humming with activity.”
To produce low sounds which blend continuously
To flatter by approving; to cajole; to deceive or impose upon; to humbug.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency: Uncommon

How It’s Used

The word’s distinct uses, one example each.

Makeverb
“We are humming happily along with the music.”
Expressverb
“The team ominously hummed "We shall overcome" as they came back onto the field after the break.”
Buzzverb
“The streets were humming with activity.”

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

humming birdhumming soundhumming noisehumming likelow humming

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

hummernounPerson or profession
A singer who produces a tune without opening the lips or forming words.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

humming bird's trumpetnounCompound term
Shrublet of southwestern United States to Mexico having brilliant scarlet flowers.
humming topnounCompound term
A top that makes a humming noise as it spins.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API (CC BY-SA 3.0). Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.