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# hum

«hum» in Mova's school dictionary: **To sing a tune with your lips closed, making a long «mmm»…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 4 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (hum, hums, hummed, humming); noun (a hum, hums)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To sing a tune with your lips closed, making a long «mmm» sound. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hum/#m1)

2) To make a low, steady buzzing sound, like bees or a fridge. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hum/#m2)

3) (noun) A low, continuous sound: «the hum of traffic». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hum/#m3)

4) To be busy and lively: «The classroom was humming with activity». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hum/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

In music lessons children hum a tune before singing the words. In science, a hum is a sound made by vibrations, like insect wings or electrical machines. In stories it sets a scene: «the hum of bees in the garden», «the fridge hummed». Phrase: «hum along».

### examples

- She hummed a happy song while she painted. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hum/#x1)
- Bees hum as they fly from flower to flower. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hum/#x2)
- I could hear the hum of the fridge in the quiet kitchen. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hum/#x3)
- Hum the tune if you forget the words. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hum/#x4)
- The computer makes a soft hum. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hum/#x5)
- The market was humming with people. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hum/#x6)
- The hummingbird got its name from the hum of its wings. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hum/#x7)
- The noisy hum of voices was hushed. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hum/#x8)

### note

Spelling: double «m» before «-ed» and «-ing»: hummed, humming. A «hummingbird» beats its wings so fast that they hum. You hum with your mouth closed; you whistle with your lips open in a small «o».

### In the corpora

- [Warm-ups such as lip trills and humming help the breath and the voice muscles work without strain.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/arts/8-singing-choirs-and-talent-shows/7/)
- [For fifteen minutes the house is so quiet she can hear the fridge hum.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/498-the-only-child-a-quiet-house/2/)
- [Many autistic children flap their hands, rock or hum to calm or enjoy themselves; this is called stimming.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/506-a-sibling-with-a-disability-or-illness-or-who-left-home/28/)
- [Touch your throat while you hum and you can feel your voice box vibrating.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/54-sound/1/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «hum» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hum/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.