humming

humming — verb

1. to make a low, steady musical sound with your lips pressed together, especially

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to make a low, steady musical sound with your lips pressed together, especially a simple tune; or for a machine, engine, or insect to produce such a continuous low sound.

Example

Yael was humming a song while washing the dishes after dinner.

hum + object (song) + while + activity

The old refrigerator hummed loudly in the corner of the kitchen.

intransitive: machine noise

Common collocations
  • hum a tune
  • hum a song
  • hum to yourself / oneself
  • hum along
  • hum quietly
  • hum loudly
  • hum happily
  • hum nervously
Synonyms
  • buzz

    higher-pitched sound, used especially for insects and small machines

  • drone

    deeper, more monotonous sound, often for engines or machinery

  • croon

    gentle, soft singing by a person, sometimes with a few words mixed in

Antonyms
  • shout

    loud, open-mouthed vocal sound — the opposite of humming

  • silence

    absence of sound

Grammar Patterns

hum + object (a tune / a song)

hum + (no object) for machines or insects

Usage Note

Commonly used in continuous tenses (was humming, is humming). When the subject is a person, an object such as a tune or song is often present; when the subject is a machine or insect, the verb is typically intransitive.

Common Mistakes

She sang with her lips closed.
She hummed with her lips closed.
'sing' requires opening your mouth to form words; 'hum' means making sound with lips pressed together.
The bees were singing around the flowers.
The bees were humming around the flowers.
'hum' describes the low, steady sound of insects; 'sing' is used for birds or people.

Word family

  • hum
    verbA2
  • hum
    nounB1
  • hummer
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe continuous sounds, but they differ in source and quality. 'Hum' is the broadest term, covering both human vocal sounds (made with lips closed) and the low steady noise of machines or insects. 'Buzz' is higher-pitched and thinner, most commonly associated with bees, flies, or small electric devices (a phone buzzing on a table). 'Drone' is deeper and more monotonous, often suggesting an engine or a speaker whose voice never changes pitch (the drone of a lawnmower). 'Croon' applies only to people and implies a gentle, slightly sentimental way of singing, often with a soft voice and occasional words (a mother crooning a lullaby). Use 'hum' as the default for everyday situations; choose 'buzz' for high electronic or insect sounds, 'drone' for repetitive low noise, and 'croon' for soft emotional singing.

hum ↗buzz ↗dronecroon

Common collocations

Adverbs

Etymology

Middle EnglishEnglish

'Hum' is an imitative (onomatopoeic) word that originated in Middle English as 'hummen' around the 14th century, based on the natural sound of a low, buzzing noise. The -ing form 'humming' appeared soon after as the continuous participle.