hum

Word family

hum1 /hʌm/ verb (hummed, humming)

1 [intransitiveI, transitiveT]SING to sing a tune by making a continuous sound with your lips closed 哼（曲子）

hum to yourself

Tony was humming to himself as he drove along.

托尼边开车边哼着曲子。

He began to hum a tune.

他开始哼唱一支曲子。

2 [intransitiveI]SOUND to make a low continuous sound 发出嗡嗡声

Machines hummed on the factory floor.

机器在车间里嗡嗡作响。

3 [intransitiveI]BUSY PLACE if a place hums, it is full of activity – use this to show approval 〔场所〕忙碌，活跃〔含褒义〕 → busy

By nine o'clock, the restaurant was humming.

到9点钟时，餐馆里开始忙碌起来。

hum with

The streets were humming with life.

大街上熙熙攘攘。

4. hum and haw British EnglishBrE to take a long time deciding what to say or do 支吾，吞吞吐吐；迟疑 → hesitate SYN American English hem and haw

Examples from the Corpus

hum• Low interest rates make borrowing easier and keep the economy humming.• Musicals are uplifting, and you are sure to leave the theatre humming a cheerful tune.• The volume of the world was turned up so the air molecules hummed a deep bass note.• The windows of the car were open and they hummed along at a steady cruising speed meeting very little traffic.• Carol hummed along to the song on the radio.• The computer was still on, humming away.• Limbs and trunks rubbed together and intermingled, humming deep tunes like giant bass fiddles.• Quietly, under my breath, I began humming Handel.• Hum of black machinery, humming hate and death and other hospital secrets.• Sewing machines hummed on the factory floor.• The refrigerator hummed softly in the corner.• She hummed softly to herself as she worked.

hum to yourself• I put my pyjamas on and hum to myself.• I run home, skipping and humming to myself.• Robot tenders puttered briskly through the water, humming to themselves.• Tony was humming to himself as he drove along but Freddie sat silent, sulking over the raid that never was.• He was humming to himself as he drove - occasionally contributing to the conversation - a placid, contented family man.• He hummed to himself as they continued northwards.• She will lie in the soapsuds, humming to herself, till two in the morning.

hum2 noun [singular]

1 SOUNDa low continuous sound 嗡嗡声；低沉而持续的嘈杂声

hum of

the distant hum of traffic

远处嘈杂的车流声

► see thesaurus at sound

2. hum of excitement/approval etc the sound of people talking because they are excited etc 兴奋/赞同等的嗡嗡声

Examples from the Corpus

hum• the distant hum of traffic• There was a low hum of conversation.• The electric light was burning and mixers and other equipment were making a steady hum.• The steady hum of the drilling rigs and the rough growls of heavy machinery moving on the road smear the coastal quiet.• the hum of the air conditioning• The hum in the air was from pylons; a cold and nervous electrical hum.• Soft, now what be this hum?

Origin hum1

(1300-1400) From the sound

hum1 verbhum2 noun

Chinese

Corpus